Dauntless
by whiteleopard1124
Summary: During a festival celebrating their alliance with Konoha, Taki abducts Naruto after discovering he contains the Kyuubi. Their plan fails and Konoha's revenge on their former allies changes the status quo of the Elemental Nations as well as Konoha irrevocably. How will Naruto fare in a world where enemies from both inside and outside Konoha are now gunning for his head?
1. Rubicon

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

"Welcome to Konohagakure, Shinren-sama," said a tall man with spiky silver hair to a man at least ten years his senior, "My name is Kakashi Hatake and I'll be your escort to the Hokage Tower."

Shinren was a tall man. He moved with grace and despite having just finished a long journey by carriage to Konoha, he did not seem even slightly tired. Kakashi bowed respectfully and it was returned by the other man just as smoothly

As expected of the leader of Takigakure.

Shinren had arrived with a small caravan of assorted goods native to Kawa no Kuni, the country his village was located in. Preserved fish, herbs and fruits that were only found in the fertile land that the water-rich Land of Rivers could produce.

Shinren turned to the small group of shinobi and traders that had accompanied him on the trip. There were a few other chunin and jounin from Konoha that were on hand to help them as Shinren spoke to a lanky man with blue hair.

"Ikado, ensure that our people follow our escorts and prepare for tonight's festival, " said Shinren drawing a nod from the other man, "We're celebrating our long alliance with Konoha. It would be remiss of us to not obey the rules set by our hosts."

"I understand, Shinren-sama," said Ikado as he bowed low before turning back to their delegation. Shinren turned away and together with Kakashi they began to make their way to the tower.

The road they were currently on was the traders' road and was very wide and filled with people. Of course, precautions had been made to ensure a safe passage and the crowds were forced to give the two men a wide berth by squads of Anbu and the Uchiha police force.

The smells and sounds of excited chatter assaulted their senses as they walked in something of an awkward silence. Kakashi was not one for pleasantries and so he decided to go with the tried and true method of remaining silent.

If Shinren really wanted to speak to him, then he could. If not, then that was also fine. Kakashi itched to take out his book and carry on from where he left off, but that was perhaps not the best move in front of a world leader.

The road they were on required them to take a few turns and cross a couple of others while they advanced towards the Tower. The winding roads were designed by Tobirama Senju and Madara Uchiha when designing Konoha.

Their reasoning had been that should any army invade Konoha then they shouldn't be able to have an easy time of reaching the Hokage tower which was the nucleus of all shinobi activities.

To a resident of Konoha, these streets were simple to navigate, but an invading army would have a considerably harder time traversing the roads. This would force them to the rooftops, but even then too many shinobi on the roofs would cause a bottleneck.

It was a simple plan, but that was often the best of plans. They had far more elaborate countermeasures for spies who leaked their layout and Kakashi only knew of some of them due to his status as an Anbu captain.

The sound of screaming up ahead drew Kakashi from his thoughts and he looked up at the source of the commotion. Perhaps thirty feet away from them, a cloud of green smoke was rapidly expanding.

Kakashi channelled chakra to his nose and he prepared a wind jutsu as he tried to figure out what the cloud was. It turned out to be a false alarm as a putrid smell invaded Kakashi's nose before he stopped channelling chakra.

Stink bombs. Homemade judging by how the stench seemed to waver and how quickly the cloud was dissipating. The unfortunate people caught in the range of the 'attack' were practically green in the face and some were looked about ready to void their stomachs.

Kakashi raised his hand to halt Shinren, an unnecessary action as the man had already stopped. Kakashi was about to speak when a flash of yellow bounced into his vision. A small boy tried to weave in between the two men, but all he succeeded in was falling back onto the floor.

"Ow," said the boy before he looked up and Kakashi was thrown as he stared into blindingly blue eyes, "Hey! You guys were in my way!"

Naruto Uzumaki. Kyuubi jinchuuriki and someone with supremely bad timing.

"You should watch where you're going," said Kakashi as he pulled the boy to his feet, "This is the leader of Taki. You should apologise. "

Naruto forgot his anger as he looked over Shinren. He was clearly curious about something, but for the life of him, Kakashi could not begin to guess what.

"It's not a problem, Hatake-san," said Shinren a smile spreading across his face, "He's just a young boy. I'm sure you can relate to being young and clumsy."

Well, Kakashi actually couldn't, but that was neither here nor there. It was a good thing that Shinren was not as egotistical as some other village leaders turned out to be.

"Wait," said Naruto as he looked at Shinren, "You're a villager leader? Like the old man Hokage? But you're like _waaaaaaay_ younger than him and you seem–"

"There he is!" shouted a young boy maybe three years older than Naruto as he pointed at the kid in front of them. Kakashi realised the man must have been caught in the cloud and he held back a chuckle as he realised the man was an Inuzuka.

An enhanced sense of smell and stink bombs were apparently a bad combo. Who would have thought?

"I gotta run!" said Naruto as he rose to his feet and took off. A group of maybe four kids chased after him and Kakashi only had to look up to the rooftops before an Anbu trailed behind the group.

Naruto would be fine. At most, the crowd would only give him a dressing down or make him wash their clothes of the stench. He was a bit of an outcast, but no one was stupid enough to outright attack the Kyuubi jinchuuriki.

You couldn't be too careful, though. Itachi was more than strong enough to keep Naruto safe in case things got dicey. Those kids didn't know anything about Naruto, but no one liked being in the epicentre of a stink cloud.

Kakashi turned to Shinren who was still turned in the direction Naruto had gone off in, "Shall we?"

Shinren snapped out of his daze and nodded at Kakashi, "Your village is...lively."

That was not how Kakashi would describe what had just happened, but maybe that's why he stuck to missions. Diplomacy was too much of a chore sometimes.

* * *

Naruto smirked from his perch on a roof. Gin and his goons were walking from street to street trying to figure out where he was. They looked in every direction, but up. No wonder he got those stink bombs on them so easily.

Those bastards didn't even it see coming. Idiots.

Naruto's grand plan to get some revenge on the warehouse district bullies paid off. There was some collateral damage, but only the ones who got pegged with the bombs would still stink even by tomorrow.

That's what they got for nabbing his bag. Naruto had been on his way to the stores when they jumped him and stole his bag. It was an old thing given to him by the matron to hold some of his stuff once he had been given his clothes.

The matron of the orphanage was a nice enough lady. She was overworked and seemed tired, but she had enough time for them all. If it weren't for her, Naruto wouldn't have known how to cook or clean or read or...well anything really.

His apartment was just past the warehouse district in a nice part of Konoha. It was not as nice as where those jounin lived or the clans, but it was alright. The nicest thing about his apartment was that he was never bothered by anyone.

After so much time sharing beds and pillows and showers, it was nice to have space to himself. It was also a bit lonely. This pulling pranks thing was great, though. Maybe–

The sound of feet shuffling next to him drew Naruto's attention. He didn't even look behind him as he made to jump off the roof. Unfortunately, he wasn't getting off that easily and he felt a hand grasp the back of his shirt.

Naruto turned and he saw a mask with weird patterns on it. The person had short, black hair and Naruto could practically feel the man's disapproval. It reminded him of the time Matron had caught him sneaking into the pantry for an extra ramen packet.

"What you did was wrong," he said and Naruto lifted his hands as he practically shouted a reply.

"They deserved it!" shouted Naruto his arms flailing wildly, "I don't bother them, but they won't leave me alone! If they had been nicer then I wouldn't have pranked them!"

"Do you think they will stop now that they know you are responsible?"

It was a good question. Gin had seen Naruto and they would all probably lining up to have a crack at him. Naruto was only six. Gin was almost ten years old and he had like a million friends.

There was no way Gin wasn't going to go for some revenge.

"Next time," said the man (or boy? He sounded kinda young to Naruto), "You should be smarter. Do you want to be a shinobi?"

"Yes! I want to be the best! Just like the old man!" said Naruto as he nodded excitedly. He would be able to travel the world, make new friends and become someone important!

Why wouldn't he want to be a shinobi?

"If you want to be the best then you must work hard, " said the boy-man as he picked up Naruto, "Remember power is useless without working hard and you must be smarter than your opponent. Climbing the walls was clever, but if you had not been caught you would have been able to start getting ready for the festival."

"How can I be strong without jutsu?" said Naruto as he allowed the boy-man to carry him as they began making towards his apartment, "The old man said I'm not ready."

They skipped over the heads of various citizens before soon they were at the top floor of Lotus Apartments – Naruto's flat. The boy(man?) put him down and he looked down at Naruto the sun shining on his mask.

"Make your own jutsu. The best things in life are unique."

There was a gust of wind and Naruto was alone outside his door. The shinobi had been a bit weird and stiff, but he was right. Naruto was going to be in the academy in two years, but he did not have time to waste.

Gin and all the other punks in the Warehouse district would only get stronger and that was bad news for Naruto. Especially after today. That stink wouldn't go out for days.

Naruto felt sweat begin to pool under his armpits and he took a sniff before jerking back harshly. Okay, maybe a shower wasn't a bad idea. He had been so excited while making the stink bombs he had forgotten to shower today.

That wouldn't do. Especially since there was a festival tonight. The old man had given some cash and a snow-white kimono. Apparently, orange wasn't an option.

The festival was only going to start in a couple of hours, though, so he was going to take a small nap. Who knew running around and climbing onto a roof took so much energy?

* * *

"My lord," said Ikado as he knelt in front of Shinren in their allocated room, "This would be tantamount to our treatment of Kakuzu. All this for some boy–"

"He is not some boy," said Shinren a wisp of anger on his voice, "Our village's sensory jutsu is second to none. Just like how I know the Hokage is going to be here with Hatake in five minutes."

"Even if you're right," said Ikado keeping his voice neutral, "Stealing a jinchuuriki is a declaration of war. We cannot beat Konoha."

"We do not need Konoha," said Shinren, "Iwa has been insistent on an alliance. One that is more favourable than our current one with Konoha. They offer jutsu and shinobi training, how could I refuse?"

"It is done," said Shinren as he cut off a reply from Ikado, "We take the jinchuuriki and seal the Kyūbi into another child. With the Kyuubi and the Nanabi, we will be a superpower in all, but name. You have your orders, now go. Our other shinobi will cause a distraction. He's guarded by ANBU, make sure your approach is subtle."

"Your word is my will, Shinren-sama."

Ikado was about to leave, but he was held back by his leader. Ikado watched in confusion as Shinren reached into his pocket only to gasp as he saw a vial of clear water.

"The Hero's Water will ensure you are not caught," said Shinren as he handed the vial over, "Suppress your chakra and use the Sekaikan to avoid contact with patrols. Should it go well they will not know he's gone until the morning."

"You have your orders, Ikado. Your village is relying on you. Recruit as many men as you need and understand that capture is not an option."

* * *

Festivals were cool.

The food was great. Music at every corner. Plus, there were a ton of games. Darts, koi fishing and even this weird stacking game with rings. Naruto had so much fun and ate so much that he did not notice the time fly.

It was only as he was ushered out a makeshift dango bar that he realised how late it was. The crisp night air bit at his face and Naruto wished he had spent the last of his money on a scarf instead of a toad wallet.

Actually, the wallet was still cool.

The festival was winding down and Naruto wandered back towards his apartment. The bigwigs of Konoha and Taki were apparently at some exclusive event that Naruto had been chased away from by the guards.

That wasn't fair. He saw kids his age in there! Why were they so special? There was a chocolate fountain in there! Life _sucked_ sometimes.

Naruto was walking through the Warehouse district when a loud explosion drew his attention. He turned in the direction and he was surprised to see a large pillar of fire extend into the air.

It was in the direction of one their smaller gates and Naruto wondered if they were under attack. Naruto looked up to the sky and sure enough, various shinobi began to hop on the rooftops. They were black blues flying across a starry night.

Naruto knew things were bad. Usually, there were never so many shinobi at once. Naruto simply decided to run all the way to his apartment. It was in the opposite direction of the explosion and he was sure he would be okay.

Naruto made it to the door of his apartment when another loud explosion rocked the village. This time in another direction. Naruto scrambled to open his door and just as he got the door open, a third and final explosion went off.

"That was by the main gate," Naruto realised he tried to slam his door shut, but he got the fright of his life when a foot was jammed into the gap.

Naruto strained to close the door, but it was like trying to dodge the rain. The door was forced open and moonlight bled into the room. Naruto tried to run into his apartment, but he ended up tripping and knocking over a side table with some dishes on it as he fell onto the ground.

Naruto turned to the door and the intruder's frame was shadowed by the night sky. Naruto felt genuine fear as he saw there was a sack in the man's hand. Naruto began to back up even as his hands were cut deeply by the shards of the dishes that had shattered.

"Sorry, boy," said the man as he held up two fingers with his free hand, "This will be over soon. Now sleep."

Naruto heard the man whisper something under his breath before white feathers began to fall in front of him. Naruto felt like sleeping and despite the panic eating away at him, he fell asleep even as the shadow approached him.

* * *

There was something wrong. Hiruzen knew this from the beginning. It was the first time danger had been so close to Konoha's front gate. The past wars had always been in other countries and they had very rarely bled into Hi no Kuni.

Kakashi dropped down next to him in his Anbu gear. They were on a roof watching as shinobi worked to extinguish the fires spreading across the forest. The fire and explosion was chakra-based which resulted in a whiteout for the Barrier team.

Those were not their only trackers, however. Inuzuka, Aburame and Hyūga. The tracking teams were spread across the forest while an emergency evacuation to the Hokage monument was being controlled by Chunin and Genin.

"Report," said Hiruzen as he took in a deep breath.

"My summons have reported nothing so far," said Kakashi, "They've found corpses further in the forest, but they were blown to pieces. Some of our people got caught in the mix. No survivors."

"A suicide mission?"

"Only if caught, sir," said Kakashi and he looked up to his leader whose face was stern, "The tower is safe and none of the clans has reported anything we should be wary of. The same goes for all our facilities. They might not have gotten whatever they came here for."

"What did they want?" it was a question that Hiruzen knew he wouldn't receive an answer for. Not yet. There were so many more.

Who was responsible? Kumo? They hadn't even spoken to Konoha since the end of the last war. Suna? They lacked the manpower to go the distance with Konoha in a war of any sort. They were far too reliant on Hi no Kuni for natural resources.

Kiri was definitely out of the question so that left only one possibility.

"Iwa," said Hiruzen, "They're still reeling from Minato's assault even now, but I would not put it past Onoki. The wounds of war never truly heal."

It still did not feel quite right. Even someone as bitter as Onoki would not be so bold as to–

"Hokage-sama, Taichou," said a voice as an Anbu joined them on the roof.

Hiruzen recognised Itachi Uchiha almost immediately as he dropped to a knee in front of the two men, "I was overseeing evacuation in the north-west sector of the village when I found Naruto Uzumaki's apartment to have signs of a struggle."

Naruto.

Hiruzen felt a pit form in his stomach. How could he forget about Naruto? The boy was only six, but his value was untold. If Konoha lost their jinchuuriki then a war would not be far behind.

"Inu," said Hiruzen causing Kakashi to straighten up, "You and Tori will pursue Naruto's assailant. Priority is recovering Uzumaki. Seek to capture whoever was foolish enough to do this. Kill if necessary."

"Go."

There were two bursts of wind as the two Anbu shot off in the direction that Hiruzen presumed Naruto's abductor had taken. Whoever it was had caused a commotion in the opposite direction and now his shinobi were headed everywhere, but the right direction.

The fires were still spreading and Hiruzen was needed in case of any surprise attacks. Once they handled this situation, Hiruzen would strike out with his full might.

* * *

Naruto woke up and all he knew was darkness. He was bundled into a tight space and for the life of him, he could not even wiggle his legs. This was not good.

"Hey! Let me out, you bastard! Where the hell are you taking me?"

It seemed whoever had taken him was not entertaining any of his protests and Naruto continued to scream even as he felt like he was attached to a speeding cart.

His kidnapper was fast and Naruto tried not to panic as he realised that this man probably had something to do with the explosions. It could be ages until someone realised where they had gone.

Naruto continued to scream all the while and after a long while his assailant seemed to reach his breaking point. The man stopped and he pulled Naruto out of the sack. Naruto landed in a heap on the ground and immediately he tried to take off into the woods.

Sharp pain in his legs stopped him in his tracks, however, and Naruto fell to the ground. He turned back and through the tears in his eyes, he saw a shuriken embedded in his calf.

The man walked to him slowly as he began to go through handseals at a slow rate, "You are a pest, jinchuuriki. Let me go for something a bit more...permanent. "

Naruto tried to move. He really did, but he was just in too much pain. In the end, he closed his eyes and he just prayed for a miracle. Naruto felt something begin to buzz underneath his skin before it suddenly escaped him in a violent burst.

Ikado paused in his seals as blue energy exploded outwards from the jinchuuriki before the boy collapsed utterly exhausted. He knew it was dangerous to remain here now.

The Sekaikan had allowed him to avoid the majority of patrols and they were almost at the Kusa border. Konoha shinobi would not be able to follow him unless they wanted to draw the ire of Kusa. If all went well, Taki would steer clear of any suspicion.

Ikado picked up the boy and was about to jump up into the trees when he picked up two fast approaching shinobi. Their speed would mean they would soon be upon him. No doubt they were tracking him.

Ikado channelled chakra to his legs before taking to the trees. His speed was almost twice as fast as before. The range of the Sekaikan had extended with his

One of the chakra signatures was familiar. It took only a few seconds to realise where he had sensed the signature before.

"Kakashi," said Ikado as he let out a breath. Kakashi's reputation was well-known throughout the world. He was one of the generational talents Konoha seemed to produce regularly.

His official ranking was A-rank, but that was pure rubbish. Perhaps other countries did not wish to acknowledge yet another S-rank worthy Shinobi from Konoha. Ikado himself was A-rank and he knew he had no chance whatsoever of beating the son of the White Fang.

Let alone Kakashi with backup.

Ikado reached into his pocket and drew out a vial of water. It would cost him some years, but he would die anyway if he were caught by Konoha's Silver Wolf. Ikado drank the Hero's Water and he felt his chakra triple in strength.

That would hopefully be enough to get deep into Kusa no Kuni before circling back into Kawa no Kuni and back to Taki. He would have to rest eventually, but for now, he had a mission to finish.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes and this time at least he wasn't in a bag. Instead, he was tied up with rope inside a cave. Sunlight bled into the cave entrance telling Naruto that he had been out for more than just a couple of hours. By Naruto's guess, it was early in the morning.

If he had been in the village he wouldn't have woken up for a few more hours at least.

Naruto looked around the cave and he felt anger bubble inside him as he saw the face of his kidnapper. He was asleep and Naruto hated how comfortable the man seemed.

The ropes were digging into Naruto's skin and his body felt like he had been chewed up and spat out. Naruto tried to wiggle free of the ropes, but all he ended up achieving was falling onto his side.

He landed with a thump and stars swam through his vision as he bumped his head on a rock. If Naruto were strong enough or not tied, he would have thrown that rock as far away as possible.

Things seemed to go from bad to worse for Naruto as his assailant woke up from the noise. He seemed to be extremely worn out and yet he still managed to move without much fuss. He packed up his stuff before picking Naruto up again.

"Let's go, jinchuuriki," said the man as he picked up Naruto who was squirming all over the place.

"Who are you?" Naruto's voice was loud and made the shinobi flinch from the volume, "What do you want from me? Also, my name isn't Jin-whatever! It's Naruto Uzumaki!"

"My name is Ikado," said the man, "I want what's inside you and I don't care what your name is."

He wanted what was inside of him? This guy was _weird_ besides Naruto didn't need to use the bath–

Ikado seemed to pause as his head jerked in a random direction. They were now outside the cave and Naruto was surprised by how hot and humid the air was. The sun was beating down on them and judging by the lack of trees, they weren't close to Konoha. Naruto began to realise just how bad his situation was as he was hauled away.

"Help! Someone–"

The rest of Naruto's words were lost to the wind as he was carried off by Ikado. They were running through tall grass before they came to a river. To Naruto's surprise, Ikado instead of going through the river he ran on the fricking water.

Naruto was feeling panic bubble up within him at this stage and he tried his best to wriggle free. No matter what he did, nothing was working. The ropes were too tight.

That wouldn't stop Naruto though.

Naruto kept pushing against the restraints. The rope wouldn't budge. Naruto was weak. If that Princess Gale in that one movie could do it why couldn't he? Everyone had chakra, right? So it should be easy for him to break free.

Naruto tried to focus on his chakra. The Princess Gale movie had all the kids in the orphanage trying to use their chakra. Matron, or Shina-baasan, had said that you had to focus inside you to use your chakra.

Apparently, she used to be a shinobi back in the day.

Naruto shook his head as he focused on the task ahead. Chakra. Focus. Inside. Chakra. Focus. Inside. Slowly, Naruto felt something warm dance across his skin. It started barely noticeable before it quickly became burning hot.

Ikado swore and Naruto thought he had finally unlocked his chakra. As it turned out, the warm feeling was not his chakra. Ikado had slowed down completely and Naruto lifted his head from where he was slung over Ikado's shoulder.

Oh, so that's what it was.

Fire. Like a _lot_ of fire. They were surrounded by a ring of fire and Naruto had no clue how that had even happened. They were the only two around for miles and there was no way Ikado was cool enough to do this.

"Ikado Jurono," said a voice and Naruto turned to see two of those masked ninjas that were always around Konoha rise up from the ground.

"Give us the boy now and surrender," said the man with silver hair and what looked like a dog mask, "Any more resistance will result in a harsher retaliation against your village."

Naruto felt his world spin as Ikado positioned him as a meat-shield. There was something cold against Naruto's neck and he glanced down only to jerk back slightly when he realised it was a kunai.

"Take one more step and you lose the Kyuubi," said Ikado causing Kakashi and Itachi to glance at each other.

Naruto, on the other hand, was confused. The Kyuubi? Wasn't that the giant fox that killed the last Hokage? Shina-baasan didn't like to speak about it whenever he asked about it. Was it because of him?

Was he the Kyuubi?

"This is your last warning, Ikado," said Kakashi as he took a step forward, "Your village will suffer even more if you make the wrong move."

Ikado's eyes flashed rapidly between Kakashi and Itachi before he decided on a course of action. He lifted his kunai and was about to gut the jinchuuriki when his arm was suddenly grabbed by something.

Ikado looked up at the Anbu only to see them fade away like a mirage. He turned to who was holding his arm and he stared into the black and red of Kakashi's Sharingan sealing his fate.

"You will forever be known as the man who killed Taki," said Kakashi his lone Sharingan eye swirling like petals on a river.

Ikado became aware of the fact that the other Anbu had already retrieved Naruto. It had to have been Genjutsu. It was probably cast once he had taken out his kunai.

"I hope this was worth it," said Kakashi his casual tone somehow managing to create a ball of fear within Ikado. Kakashi's grip tightened causing Ikado to drop his kunai.

The Anbu's Sharingan picked up speed and he heard the man's voice grow a bit of an edge as he said the last words Ikado would hear from him

"Raiton: Bakurai!"

* * *

**Jutsu List:**

**Ninpou: Sekaikan (Ninja Art: Outlook On The World)**

**A sensory jutsu developed by Takigakure shinobi and only available to Taki's upper echelons of shinobi. At it's highest levels, it can even determine whether one is a jinchuuriki. Said to be based on a lost Uzumaki jutsu. B-rank.**

**Raiton: Bakurai (Lightning Release: Depth Charge)**

**After enveloping themselves with lightning chakra, the user can inflict damage to the opponent by either touching or emanating a powerful bolt of electricity from any part of their body.**

* * *

**Takigakure – Hidden Waterfall**

**Kawa no Kuni – Land of Rivers**

**Kusa**

* * *

**Author Notes:**

**Hello, guys! This is the spiritual rewrite of Rising Above. This is long overdue guys. I'm really sorry it took this long, but it's finally out. Please tell me what you guys think.**

**Anyways, I'm not as green a writer as before so I think I can manage to carry this story on. I have some really great ideas and as you can tell it is quite different from Rising Above.**

**Hopefully, you'll stay though and to all the people coming over, I'm sorry it took this long and here's to a new story that I swear on Alvaro Morata and Marcos Llorente will finish. If you know, you know.**

**I have three works in progress including this one. Ascendants and Dauntless will take priority. Herald is more of a fun project and so the updates will be a lot slower there now. Once a month if I can squeeze it. Sorry to any of you that enjoy it**

**It's only the beginning, but please tell me what you think. I was thinking of going on further, but that felt like a good enough ending point for the first chapter.**

**Also, as usual, tell me what ships, thoughts or whatever questions you may have. My PM lines are always open so feel free to ask me something if you feel need the privacy.**


	2. Retaliation

**Thanks to everyone who left a review on the last chapter as well those who subscribed and favourited this story. The response has been near overwhelming. This is a bit longer than the last chapter and I will usually write longer than this at least 8K and at most like 13K. Size matters, people.**

* * *

Hiruzen sighed as he sat in Naruto's room in a hospital. He had wanted to light his pipe, but he had a feeling the nurses and doctors would not appreciate that. Village leader or not.

Konoha had multiple hospitals. Some were designated for civilian use and others for shinobis only. There were three civilian hospitals and six Shinobi hospitals of varying size and quality. The largest hospital, the Hashirama Senju General, had the greatest capabilities of them all.

It could house up to 4000 patients, which was just about 20% of Konoha's maximum shinobi force including retired shinobi. Of course, Konoha's full force was rarely in its walls at all times.

Konoha was seldom at full military strength. They were a large number of shinobi stationed outside major Hi no Kuni towns as well as in countries with alliances with Hi no Kuni like Kawa no Kuni.

Konoha was strong of that Hiruzen was certain. They had never lost a war, but that did not mean they did not suffer all the same. Countless of shinobi were killed, hundreds of towns razed and many families were broken throughout the past three wars and countless skirmishes in between.

Some of these skirmishes were a result of squabbles between the Daimyo of various countries. In fact, the first shinobi war had been a result of trade deals collapsing during the dawn of the shinobi villages. The villages replaced the samurai of the Daimyo and a full-blown war spread across the lands.

The initial agreement between the Fire Daimyo and Hashirama had been worked upon by Tobirama and then again by Hiruzen himself. Daimyo still had a large amount of sway, but the Hokage was now given the power to deliberate and vote on matters concerning Hi no Kuni.

It was why trade had never sprung between Tsuchi no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. Onoki and Hiruzen did not trust the other nation nearly enough to ally with officially. The wounds of the past stung all too sharply for them even as old as they were.

Currently, no major country was allied with another except for Kaze no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. Suna, as well as various towns, were given supplies from Hi no Kuni and the tradeoff was more missions being redirected to Konoha. A stipulation Hiruzen had added himself.

It was a strenuous relationship. Rasa, the current Kazekage, was far too proud to accept his own Daimyo looking elsewhere for missions. The benefit to his country and village only barely stayed his hand.

It was why Hiruzen would have ensured that the village was far more prepared for anything had Rasa come to Konoha with a delegation. It was only a matter of time before Rasa would seek to sever the alliance one way or another. Hiruzen expected it.

He did not expect this from Taki.

The lesser village leaders usually held far less sway and control over the country. Some like Yugakure were essentially formal bandit camps that the Daimyo wanted next to nothing to do with. Yugakure was on the brink of collapse and their Daimyo was no small part of the reason.

Yugakure could not even retaliate as their Daimyo's standing army dwarfed that of Yugakure and of course, the Daimyo could and would hire shinobi from other villages. Instead, Yugakure was destined to die a slow death. They probably would not exist in the next five years.

Other countries like Kusa no Kuni and Ame no Kuni were almost the exact opposite. The village leaders had taken swift control of their home nation and even went as far to rename the country after the village.

The only reason Ame and Kusa never became major villages was due to their rather harsh climate and low population levels. Kusa had dense forestry filled with various poisonous plants and insects which razed crops and towns causing many civilians to flee ages ago.

Ame, on the other hand, suffered too much soil erosion due to the high amounts of rainfall and thus could not produce enough crops. It also made for a very depressing place to live. People left both countries for more ideal locations like Hi no Kuni or other countries more suitable to human life.

Both countries were almost self-sufficient and they dealt almost exclusively with each other when it came to trade. Ame had mines rivalling that of Tsuchi and Kaze no Kuni whilst Kusa grew just enough crops in shinobi-protected fields to trade with Ame.

Takigakure and Kawa no Kuni suffered none of these problems, however. In fact, Kawa was one of the most arable places on the continent. However, Taki was far too small to cover all the bases and needed Konoha's help to appease their Daimyo lest she cut their funding.

They had allied with each other during Hashirama's reign and had been given the Nanabi as a gift of sorts to help alleviate the strain. They were the big winners of the alliance from Hiruzen's eyes as the alliance with Konoha as well as having a Bijū kept them safe from any invasion.

Taki had never fought a war with any major village. Their population topped out at 3000 at most. Their leader was far weaker than any clan leaders let alone shinobi like Kakashi, Jiraiya and Tsunade. They were weak and they knew it which was what confused Hiruzen.

He looked towards Naruto who still slept peacefully. Naruto had apparently used some of the Kyuubi's chakra (and all of his own) in some sort of signalling pulse after he had been abducted. Hiruzen suspected the Kyuubi had a hand in that as Naruto knew only the bare basics of chakra.

The seal was still intact and Jiraiya would soon be in the village to examine it. A second (and undoubtedly wiser) opinion was needed in this instance just in case Hiruzen missed anything. To do anything less would be foolish.

Why it happened did not matter, though. Taki tried to take a Konoha citizen. A citizen that was Konoha's only jinchuuriki. A jinchuuriki that was the only son of their last Kage. For a rather benevolent shinobi village, this was as colossal a mistake as they could have made.

The beeping of the heart rate monitor drew Hiruzen out of his thoughts and it was no moment too soon as he sensed someone rapidly approaching the room. There was a knock at the door before it began to open. Hiruzen recognised the chakra signature of Kakashi before he saw the jounin's face.

The man walked in dressed in his jounin attire. His face was as stoic and calm as ever. His eye only briefly looked over Naruto before he dropped to one knee, but he was made to rise almost immediately.

"Shinren-san has escaped, Hokage-sama," said Kakashi, "He left his entire entourage behind with a clone and managed to slip away. We believe he's heading to Taki as we speak. The delegation has already been detained."

Hiruzen was mildly impressed. Shinren had prepared for failure and in all likelihood was nowhere near the village at the time of Naruto's abduction. Some, including Hiruzen, would see Shinren abandoning his people as treacherous, but the shinobi in him also applauded it.

It was too bad it would be for nothing.

"I trust our patrols and outposts have been able to confirm this?"

Kakashi nodded, "Inochi-san received word from our scouts that he went directly to the Kawa border a few hours ago. The Fire Daimyo has also given his express approval for the decided course of action. He said he will handle the Kawa Daimyo."

Hiruzen was sure the Daimyo had approved of this without any deliberation. The noble court tended to drag their feet on a lot of matters, but this was not one of them. Hiruzen was sure the Daimyo knew he did not need to assemble his court.

Taki's attack was an outrage. Konoha's retaliation would be swift and harsh

Similarly, Hiruzen had not even bothered to assemble the council for a meeting. This was something that none of them would be able to sway him from doing. Ironically, Hiruzen believed they would all follow his lead on this one even Danzo would approve.

"Are the Anbu in position with the package?" said Hiruzen drawing one last nod from Kakashi, "Perfect. Send word to the clan heads that I'm leaving. Shikaku and Fugaku are in charge until I return. "

Hiruzen rose from his seat and he spared a look at Naruto before he left the hospital. He used the Shunshin to get to the top of the Hokage monument. The winds were stronger up here and the sky was still black. Sunrise would only come in about three hours.

He would be done before then.

Four shinobi stood nearby and they all bowed before they calmly awaited his orders. Three of the four stood further behind the last one as if to pay deference. It made sense considering the three were jounin whilst the last man was the head of the Hyuuga clan.

"The package is in place," said Hiruzen as he stood before them, "Hiashi, are you ready?"

Hiashi nodded stoically and Hiruzen turned his attention to the other three men. Their faces were grim as the seriousness of the situation pressed down on them and squeezed out any joviality.

"Genma, is your squad ready?" said Hiruzen to the most senior of the three jounin, "Time is of the essence. "

"We are ready when you are Hokage-sama," said Genma a senbon in his mouth, "We've already managed to sense the tag."

"Let's go then," said Hiruzen and he walked up to Hiashi and the others.

The three jounin surrounded Hiashi and Hiruzen in a triangular formation. They began to go through handseals before finally, they came to a stop at the same time. The jounin put their hands out to touch each other and their voices announced their jutsu in unison.

"Hiraijin no jutsu!"

Less than a second later The five shinobi disappeared in a yellow flash. The clifftop was soon empty as it's former occupants left with only one thought on their mind.

Revenge.

* * *

The Hiraijin squad along with Hiashi and Hiruzen appeared in a forested area. Around 20 Anbu were waiting for them and their leader, who stood in front of the others, wore a Tiger mask. Tiger bowed respectfully as did the other Anbu before Hiruzen finally spoke.

"Have you identified the location of Taki's tunnels?"

It was one of the few things that Taki could boast about. They had never been invaded and as such their village remained a mystery to the majority of the world. Of course, allies tended to know just a little bit more about each other due to simple things like visits to the village.

"I believe we've located around 70% of their tunnel system," said Tiger his tone tinged with annoyance, "The information we got on the range of the Sekaikan prevented us from going any deeper. However, we have identified various cave systems that we believe could lead to the village proper.

The information on the Sekaikan was reliable as it had been wrenched out the mind of Naruto's abductor by Inoichi himself. The furthest known range of it was thirteen kilometres and that was Shinren's range. They risked being discovered too soon if they went any closer.

Inoichi had tried to probe Ikado further to find out Taki's location, but Ikado died before Inoichi could pull it off. As it turned out, Taki had been able to procure a Juinjutsu (Cursed Seal Jutsu) that induced death upon interrogation on their location. It certainly cleared up how and why they had never been invaded.

It was possible that the seal only worked if someone tried to coax Taki's location from one of their shinobi. They had other Taki citizens, but it would be needlessly cruel to test that on them. Especially with what they were about to do.

"They will know we are coming," said Hiruzen his voice as solid as rock, "Alpha-1 and Beta-3 will go to the caves with Tiger. Destroy them. Ensure no one can get in or out. Hiashi will aid you with finding caves once he's done guiding the strike force to the village. The Hiraijin squad will teleport him to your location."

There would be no escape for Taki's citizens. Carnage would reign supreme and Hiruzen was sure their arrival was anticipated, but that would mean nothing.

A man may see a storm approaching, but there is little he can do to stop it.

"Tiger, take the Hiraishin beacon with you," said Hiruzen and Tiger picked it up from the ground, "Leave now. Only begin the demolition once Hiashi is by your side. Begin at the nearest site."

Nine of the Anbu took to the trees and Hiruzen took the time to take off his robes and hat. They were caught and sealed away by the Anbu closest to him and Hiruzen only briefly let his chakra flow speed up before slowing it down.

It was a silent call for attention that had the remaining shinobi on red alert. They would not be in the frontlines at all if all went to plan. They already had their orders. Raze all essential buildings and take anything of value. Jutsu, mission records, numbers and anything of the sort.

Hiruzen would serve as their distraction. In Hiruzen very unbiased opinion, he felt as though it would be a sufficient distraction. And that was not just his pride leaking through.

After all, who could ignore the God of Shinobi terrorising their village?

"Let's move."

* * *

Hiruzen breathed in deeply. In something of an unexpected move, no squads had been sent out to intercept them. It was likely that Shinren knew that Hiruzen was amongst the squad approaching his village and was looking to swarm him once he got to the village proper.

Not bad.

They sent out no one. Not even one shinobi. Hiashi reported that they were evacuating their citizens to an underground shelter. It was all futile. The civilians would have next to nothing to fear from them. This was not their fight.

Hiashi, who was leading the charge, slowed to a stop. Everyone followed suit and the clan leader turned to Hiruzen his Byakugan still active.

"We are now five hundred metres from Taki," said Hiashi, "There is a massive tree saturated with chakra in the centre of the village. I believe that this may be the source of their Hero's water."

The Hero's water was essentially a steroid that buffed one's chakra levels and potency. It was similar to the Eight Gates, but it damaged the user's chakra system instead of their bones and muscles.

Perhaps, Research and Development could find a better use for it.

"Anbu, avoid conflict where you can," said Hiruzen as he began to go through handseals, "Stick to the forest floor. Hiashi, please assist Tiger and his men. Once all of you are done, make for Konoba. Do not worry about me."

"I'll be fine."

Hiruzen finally finished his handseals. He felt his chakra flare and Hiruzen bit back a smile as Hiashi flinched ever so slightly. Hiruzen announced the name of his jutsu.

"Katon: Gōka Messhitsu (Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction)!"

A sea of fire erupted from Hiruzen's mouth and spread far and wide in front of the shinobi. The forest they were in rapidly caught fire and the flames continued to jump from tree to tree.

Within seconds, the previously quiet forest had descended into something of a nightmare and Hiashi was forced to deactivate his Byakugan. The sheer amount of chakra in the air making it pointless to keep it active.

"My chakra will cover yours from the Sekaikan," said Hiruzen as he lowered his hands from his mouth, "You'll know when this battle is over."

* * *

It felt as if it was the end of days for Taki.

Shinren had sensed Hiruzen's chakra the second he had entered his range. Their village had a record of having never been invaded, but not one of their shinobi would be able to halt the Hokage's charge.

No, it was better for them to wait. Shinobi were posted on the rooftops and the ground surrounding the Tree. There were also multiple shinobi in and around the Tree as well. Traps had been laid out and there were a few sentry squads, but the majority of the brawl would happen right by the tree. Hopefully, the battle would not spread too far and if things did not go so well then at least they still had that girl.

Shinren wondered what would happen if they lost here today. The attempt on Konoha's jinchuuriki had not been sanctioned by that coward of a Daimyo.

Lady Asuka would not dare strike out against the might Land of Fire. The lucrative trade deals and business options were too valuable to give up. Furthermore, She made use of Konoha shinobi just as much as, if not more than, Taki shinobi.

It was humiliating.

When Iwa had come up with an offer to help bolster the strength of their shinobi, how could he have said no? Iwa were not known to be trustworthy in the least, but the insignia of the Earth Daimyo on the proposal was worth Shinren's weight in gold.

Iwa were also vulnerable. At least as vulnerable as one of the Big Five could get. They still had multiple S-rank shinobis which included two jinchuuriki who both had a handle on their power.

If Taki could learn how to do the same for their jinchuuriki then all would be–

Shinren was drawn from his thoughts as he sensed Hiruzen immense signature come to a stop. Others around him also had the Sekaikan active and they realised just a little after that the Hokage had stopped his charge.

Shinren was about to speak when there was a massive flare of chakra. It had to have been the Hokage. Shinren could see even from this far away that there was an orange glow in the distance.

Fire.

The flames spread rapidly and the Taki shinobi's low morale took another hit as the horizon took on a menacing orange glow. The fires would be hard to contain and would keep burning and spreading until the chakra in them died.

If Hiruzen had been the one to cast that jutsu, and Shinren was certain it was the Hokage, then those flames could last hours. They had to be put out before any more harm could be done to the forest.

Shinren tried to feel out for Hiruzen's chakra, but a cold spike grew in his chest as he realised something terrible. The flames were not only meant to distract them.

They masked Hiruzen's squad's chakra signatures perfectly. Even Shinren could not sense where they were. To make matters worse, another massive firestorm erupted this time in the east and west.

Hiruzen had been coming from the south.

"Find the Hokage!" shouted Shinren his shinobi looked nervous, but they still obeyed his orders, "Spread out and find him! We can't sit back and wait for him to come to us."

In two moves, Hiruzen had countered their whole defence strategy. Their essential buildings were all in the vicinity of the Tree which was why they had to sit back and ensure they were safe.

That was no longer an option.

Shinren remained in his position even as multiple squadrons began to sweep the village for Hiruzen and his squad. The Hero's Water was his last resort. It was deeper in the Tree, but there was enough in there to give him a fighting chance.

He just had to time it right.

Shinren reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of a boy with similar features to him.

"Shibuki, I hope you know I'll always love you. Please survive tonight. For me and the village."

* * *

The first of the shinobi to have found Hiruzen were caught unawares. They charged at him, but after just two handseals, spikes of rock burst from the ground. Ten shinobi were run straight through and dead before they hit the ground.

Hiruzen knew he had to be clever about this. His shadow clones had not been caught yet and were staying one step ahead of their pursuit squads. Hiruzen's instructions to his clones had been simple.

Raze.

Buildings, shinobi and whatever stood in their way. Taki's lack of formidable numbers and shinobi made it child's play. In the distance, Hiruzen saw a massive dragon made of rock shoot into the air.

It was lit on fire before it shot straight back down to the ground. There were screams as it tore through shinobi and buildings. There was a low boom that Hiruzen knew to be the sound of the dragon exploding.

Flaming shrapnel would be sent through the air and only true elites would be able to get out of that attack unharmed. Hiruzen began to go through handseals again as he came across a large squadron of shinobi around fifty to sixty trying to extinguish the flames.

Multiple rivers ran through Taki and just as the shinobi were using nearby water to extinguish the flames, Hiruzen opted to do the same.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no jutsu (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique)!"

The river seemed to come to life as it surged up in a column. The Taki shinobi were shocked at the sight of the rushing flood of water and Hiruzen went through another set of handseals.

"Raiton: Gian (Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder)!"

The lance of electricity slammed into the large wave of water and the combination washed over the squadron of shinobi. Hiruzen only paused for a second to watch as the shinobi were slammed into various buildings as their bodies began to convulse violently.

Yet again, Hiruzen was able to avoid detection. This was how Hiruzen had decided to cause the most chaos. Hiruzen was adept in everything to do with the ninja arts. However, ninjutsu always had and always would be his forte.

Spires of rock, towers of water and waves of fire all rained down on Taki. Immense winds would fan the spreading flames or cut down swathes of shinobi. Bolts of lightning would pierce through even the thickest of armour.

Over the next thirty minutes, Hiruzen brought hell upon Taki. One of his shadow clones had been dispelled finally. Its chakra had been running out and it had dived into a group of shinobi to engage in Taijutsu.

It had done admirably before it was killed by a suicidal dive from a kunoichi. It was all for nought, however, as the clone exploded. The Bunshin Daibakuha (Clone Great Explosion) taking out more of Taki's ranks.

Hiashi's estimate of the shinobi in the village had been rather optimistic. Hiruzen guessed only about 40% or at best 50% of Taki's shinobi were in the village. A large proportion of that being Genin and Chūnin.

Hiruzen ducked into an empty building as his second clone dispelled. A rush of memories went through his head and he was pleased to see that his Anbu squads had managed to plunder Taki of their jutsu, records and whatever else had been deemed of worth.

They shot off in a Shunshin and Hiruzen could sense them leaving the village through the seals that were etched on their shoulders. There were far less shinobi in the village now and Hiruzen believed they had gone down to the caves to begin the evacuation protocol.

The fire he had started earlier had now spread in all directions and stopped the Taki shinobi from taking an above-ground escape route. Tiger's group should have collapsed the majority of the caves by now which would only cause the shinobi to have to double back.

Hiruzen was in a warehouse of sorts and he jumped out one of the windows at the top. Hiruzen was sure Shinren was at the centre of the village at the Big Tree. Hiruzen could detect that two of his Anbu were there too and judging by their movement they were currently in battle.

That all changed as there was a massive flare of insidious chakra that seemed to poison the very air. Hiruzen bit his thumb and went through five handseals before slamming his hand onto the roof.

"Enma, I need you in your Bō form please," Hiruzen's tone was firm and Enma senses the gravity of the situation as he transformed immediately.

"Saru, is that what I think it is?" Enma's voice asked as Hiruzen held onto the staff tightly.

"It is," said Hiruzen his tone as serious as ever, "Taki have unleashed their jinchuuriki."

* * *

Fū wasn't sure what was going on. She had been sleeping in the corner in her room before everything. Her 'bedroom' was small and cold and dark. She always brought her old futon to the corner so the room wouldn't feel as scary.

She had managed to make some food and it had tasted pretty good. A lot better than when she had begun to teach herself how to cook. She only managed to get food from Io-chan who would buy her some extra groceries every few weeks.

Fū knew that other than Io-chan, no one liked her in the village. Kids stayed away and adults ignored her. It hurt. Today had been even worse than usual.

She had gotten an ice-cream cone from Io who had left on a mission earlier to another town in Kawa. Some girl had taken her ice-cream and thrown it on Fū's shirt.

No one had helped her and some kids were even laughing. Fū had run all the way home and she had made her food before crying herself to sleep. That was the last thing Fū remembered before some shinobi took her to the inside of the Tree.

She heard screams and shouts and explosions as Shinren-sama began to paint on her skin. She had been told to stay still and Fū listened. It felt ticklish and took so long until finally it was done.

"Here," said Shinren as he pushed a glass of water to her. Fū almost dropped it from how quickly he had given it to her, but she drank the water fully.

It tasted weird and Fū felt like her body was on fire before she heard Shinren's words as she slowly fell asleep.

"Do not fail me, jinchuuriki."

* * *

Hiruzen landed at the base of the tree and it was there he saw two of his Anbu lying on the ground. They had deep scratch marks all over their body and Hiruzen could sense they were long dead.

Bijū chakra hung heavily in the air and Hiruzen was on red alert as he searched for the killer of his Anbu. There was a flare of chakra from above him and Hiruzen lashed out with his staff at a dark red blur.

There was a screech as his target was sent flying before slamming into the trunk of the Tree. Hiruzen stared at his new opponent and he was unsurprised to see what was the jinchuuriki of the Nanabi in a chakra cloak.

However, there was something wrong about the scene in front of him.

"A child?" said Hiruzen and he scanned all around him for Shinren, "Your jinchuuriki cannot even be 7 years old, Shinren! How can you do this?"

Hiruzen received no answer of course. Hiruzen had been too young to fight in the Warring Clans Era, but even then the effect had been obvious. He grew up to see young teenagers within his clan crippled from previous battles.

His father would tell him of the terror of those times and so too did both of his predecessors. Even Tobirama-sensei, as cold as he was did, not look back on those days with anything, but hatred.

Of course, Hiruzen knew that he had allowed early graduation for talents like Kakashi, Itachi as well as all three of his students. It was hypocritical of him, but judging from the gait and stance of the child before him he knew one thing for sure.

"You coward," Hiruzen spat as the jinchuuriki rose to his(or her) feet, "She's not even trained. End this now. You have nothing to gain from this."

Of course, there was no answer and Hiruzen channelled chakra through his staff as the jinchuuriki's cloak grew two more wings. Hiruzen had fought a few jinchuuriki before, but even if he had not he knew what was going on.

If he didn't end this soon enough, the Nanabi would be released and with the caves being destroyed by his Anbu...

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu."

The pinch on his chakra system was painfully noticeable and Hiruzen knew he'd have to be more conservative with his approach. The single clone he made already took off in a random direction.

There was another screech from the jinchuuriki that Hiruzen was sure was a girl's voice. She flew towards him, but Hiruzen extended his staff and slammed her back into the trunk of the tree.

Hiruzen pressed his advantage and he closed in on the girl as he delivered crushing strikes with his staff. The girl let out screams of pain and tried to retaliate, but was far too slow to come close to hitting him.

Hiruzen finished off his onslaught with a harsh blow that sent the young girl into the ground. Her movements were jerky and unrefined as if her muscles were made of metal rods as she slowly began to rise to her feet.

"Enma, bind her!"

Hiruzen threw Enma at the girl and there was a loud burst of smoke as he reverted to his original form. Enma formed copies of himself before they all transformed back into staffs. Soon, a lattice box of staffs formed around the jinchuuriki.

It was only a temporary fix, but it would have to do for now.

Hiruzen sensed a flare of chakra behind him and he jumped up into the branches. A sword made of water landed where he had just been and Hiruzen tracked its trajectory to Shinren who stood next to a clone of himself.

The one Hiruzen believed to be the clone was holding a water sword similar to the one that had just been thrown. The real Shinren was crouched on one knee his hands making the ram seal.

"I was so close to eliminating the God of Shinobi. It's a shame that poor, poor orphan could not distract you long enough," said Shinren his voice only holding the slightest bits of strain, "Your bounty alone would keep the village afloat for at least a decade and that's after buying a diamond mine."

It didn't take long for Hiruzen to figure out that Shinren was controlling the jinchuuriki's body. It was a crude plan, but it had worked well enough to take out two of his Anbu.

Hiruzen spared a glance behind and he saw the jinchuuriki try to bust out the cage she was in. Enma's staff form was indestructible, however, so it was pointless to even try. All Hiruzen had to do was keep Shinren talking.

"Why did you take Naruto?" said Hiruzen causing Shinren to smirk, "Our alliance was strong. Our villages have a long partnership and you threw that all away for what? Another jinchuuriki you couldn't develop?"

"You're wrong," said Shinren his eyes cold, "Our alliance made you strong. Our Daimyo doesn't respect us. Your shinobi are all over our country and you have far more trade deals with other countries that we have not received a share of."

"Your village is already in the prime spot on this continent," said Shinren his anger beginning to build, "Your Daimyo is rich. Your crops are fruitful year after. Your rivers clean and unpolluted. Your forest spread far and wide and your mines run deep into the ground."

Shinren's frame was taut as he released years of frustration, "Despite all of that, your village wants more and more. Herbs from Cha no Kuni. Cloths from Tori no Kuni. Access to the sea from Nami no Kuni! Your village is gluttonous and arrogant!"

Shinren's face was red as he breathed heavily, "When I got the offer from Iwa for a new alliance. I took it! Their Daimyo was on-board. Onoki had met with us multiple times! I just wanted one last thing from you before cutting ties."

The Kyuubi.

"Iwa proposed a knowledge and shinobi exchange as well as fairer trade deals," said Shinren in a more subdued tone, "Open borders and joint military exercises. How could I not accept that?"

"We are not the ones who are greedy," said Hiruzen his voice as firm as steel, "Every attempt Konoha has made for peace has backfired on us. Iwa, Kiri, Suna and Kumo started the first war by attacking us. Hashirama-sama ended it at the cost of his own life. Suna attacked us in the second war and Kumo killed Tobirama-sama. We ended it. The third war started with an attack from Iwa and Kumo on us and Minato ended it."

"After every war, we could have crippled a lot of countries for compensation," said Hiruzen, "We did not. We could have ordered the death of every Kage who gave orders against us. We did not. "

Hiruzen stared at Shinren and let his chakra radiate from his body, "That is why we have more business than any other nation. That is why smaller countries trust us and work with us. We've come to the aid of many countries on the brink of war including your own."

Hiruzen's chakra seemed to press down on Shinren's whose anger was quashed by the mere presence of the longest-serving Hokage. The wood beneath their feet cracked as Hiruzen said his last words.

"We can, and often, are your greatest allies," said Hiruzen as he turned his back on Shinren, "However if you cross us. We will be your worst nightmare."

Hiruzen did not turn back to face Shinren as he walked away. He reached inside his armour and threw a scroll at Shinren. There was no sound of it hitting the thick branch they were standing and Hiruzen assumed Shinren had caught the scroll.

"Those are the terms of your surrender," said Hiruzen, "Lady Asuka has already signed off on it so long as we keep our trade deals intact. It's over, Shinren. You lose."

That seemed to send Shinren over the edge and there was a flare of chakra as the jinchuuriki's body began to grow bigger and bigger. The cloak now had a tail and Hiruzen watched as red and blue spheres formed around the young girl's mouth.

"You will die today, Saru–"

"Hakke: Kusho (Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm)."

Hiruzen looked over his shoulder just in time to see Shinren get sent flying by a shell of air. The man landed harshly on the ground and was knocked unconscious.

Hiashi landed on the branch a second later his Byakugan activated. He bowed to Hiruzen before speaking.

"The caves have been destroyed, Sarutobi-sama," said Hiashi his voice as calm as usual, "Their evacuation attempt was unsuccessful and I expect them to return to the village within half an hour."

"Thank you, Hiashi," said Hiruzen and there was a loud pop as Enma changed back to his normal form.

The reason for this was shown as branches of wood from the Tree were wrapped around the jinchuuriki and absorbing her chakra. The process was a slow one, but soon a girl with blistered skin wearing burnt, off-white clothes was revealed.

She could only have been a year older than Naruto at the most. Her skin was completely burnt away in some places and lines and dots were glowing just underneath her skin. There were black smudges that looked to have been a seal of some sort. In some places, her clothes were fused to her skin making for a rather grim sight.

"Her chakra system has suffered immense damage," said Hiashi as he stared over the girl, "She must have taken Taki's Hero Water in a bid to force more chakra to the surface. She won't survive the night unless–"

"Unless?" said Hiruzen as he watched the branches Tiger had summoned retreat back into the Tree.

"I can halt the flow of her chakra," said Hiashi his tone only holding the slightest hints of hesitation, "Her chakra is in a volatile state and its damaging her coils. If I stop it for a while then her chakra will revert to normal."

"Do it," said Hiruzen and Hiashi, to his credit, did not falter as he did as he was told. There were a few more Anbu left as well as the Hiraijin squad who had come back from the caves.

It was rather ironic that Hiruzen had needed their help in the end, but that was neither here nor there. The fires around the village and in the forest had finally been extinguished and Hiruzen pointed to one of the Anbu.

"Boar-6, you're the best medic here, correct?" said Hiruzen drawing a nod from the man, "Help heal the girl. If it is beyond your capabilities, then use the Hiraijin squad to get her to Konoha."

"Tiger," said Hiruzen already turning away from the other Anbu, "The source of Taki's Hero's Water is deeper inside the tree. Retrieve as much as you can and we'll depart for Konoha."

Tiger melted into the wood and one of the other Anbu took that moment to speak.

"Sarutobi-sama, may I ask why we are healing their jinchuuriki?"

It was a fair question. It was also one lacking insight. Empathy was something a leader needed and in truth, Anbu tended to erode that from a fair share of their members. Someone like Kakashi or Jiraiya would understand perfectly.

The girl was just a child. Her lot in life was set in stone, but that did not mean she had to die. Hiruzen had been prepared for Taki's jinchuuriki to die whether now or in a few days, but now things were different.

"Other than potentially unleashing the third-strongest Biju? She is now a Konoha citizen," said Hiruzen drawing a few murmurs, "Our alliance with Taki is null and void. We are taking back what had been a gift to their village."

The Anbu seemed a bit uneasy and Hiruzen could not blame them. However, anything less than this would be foolish. The other villages would not be happy about Konoha having the Kyuubi and the Nanabi.

It would cause hesitation and Hiruzen was sure that would push back any looming threats of war. Of course, all the other villages would be preparing for war and Konoha would not be caught unawares.

The new academic year was set to start in a few weeks and some massive overhauls would have to take place. The fight today had shown Hiruzen that quantity would not be enough.

His shinobi needed more quality and reforming the Academy was the best way to start. Naruto was due to start next year and he needed to be prepared for what was coming his way.

It was only a matter of time before Naruto's jinchuuriki status was spread across the world. The same held true for the young girl. They would both have massive targets on their back and Hiruzen had a plan for them to be ready for it.

Suddenly, Tiger emerged from the ground holding a storage scroll and Hiruzen shook his head as he focused on the present.

"Genma, Raido and Iwashi," said Hiruzen, "Take one soldier pill each. You're about to be very busy."

The Hiraijin squad seemed a bit dejected (understandably so) but they did as they were told and soon the transportation back to Konoha began.

The status quo of the shinobi nations had just been thrown into flux. Konoha having a second jinchuuriki, and the Nanabi at that would ruffle some feathers. Hiruzen looked over Taki once more as he took in its destroyed state. This would send a message that Konoha was not to be taken lightly. It would be a few years before any serious moves were made against them.

Hiruzen would not waste one bit of the time they were being afforded. He could not.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

**Hey, guys here's the second chapter of Dauntless. Konoha's retaliation had been swift and very crippling to Taki. I feel like Hiruzen gets portrayed as a doddering, old fool a lot which is so annoying. If maybe Iwa had tried to abduct Naruto he would have acted with more restraint, but some mooks like Taki would defos get their cheeks clapped by him.**

**I didn't add any Jutsu descriptions coz all of those were canon or appeared in the anime at the very least. I'll only put OC Jutsu descriptions down which there are going to be quite a lot of (hint hint hint hint). I also prefer using Japanese names for jutsu so I mean yeah I'll add the translation next to it. I'm far from being even passable at Japanese, but that's what's great about artistic license. **

**Please tell me what you thought of this chapter. I love hearing what you guys have to say and if you want to have a more in-depth conversation you are free to send me a PM. If you have any theories, ideas or thoughts about future events, teams, fights, jutsu drop a review or PM.**

**Finally, stay safe from COVID-19. You can never be too safe. **


	3. Loyalty

**Hope you guys are doing well, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

The shinobi council of Konoha was made up of the leaders of the major clans that resided in the village. These clans contributed a lot to Konoha in various departments and as such, they were given the power to deliberate and bring up any issues that they had.

The council was now gathered with all the seats filled except for that of the Senju clan. There were others clan in Konoha like the Kurama clan that were actively pursuing to replace the Senju clan seat, but that would not go down so well.

The Kurama clan was far smaller than any of the clans not currently on the council such as Hiruzen's own clan. In any case, the Hokage was not allowed to represent his or her clan on the council. Thus, Hiruzen had always served on the council as the Hokage first.

It did not bother him at all. Konoha was a mix of various clans and any good Kage would look for the best interest of his people as a whole. He represented the interests of the non-clan shinobi as well as those clans too small to earn a seat on the council.

Far more people would be upset at him voiding the Senju seat than people would be happy at promoting the reclusive Kurama clan. The Kurama clan were happy to stay in the village outskirts instead of being right in the thick of things.

This had the consequence of them being seen as arrogant by the general populace. Even the compounds of the Uchiha and Hyuuga who were more influential and wealthy by a distance and were open to any and all from Konoha.

Furthermore, both clans had iconic bloodlines and consistently produced strong shinobi. This made both clans very popular and influential amongst the masses. The other clans had a similar effect and that was why the council was necessary.

Hiruzen was well within his rights to force his shinobi to comply and he has done so in the past and undoubtedly will again at some point in the future. However, for more intricate plans he needed the clans to want to work with him.

People were willing to work harder for a cause they believed in. That was something Hiruzen had learnt early on in his life and he had also learnt how to get people to believe in his cause. He was approachable as they came but still stern and wise enough for people to think twice about trying to pull the string over his eyes.

"Our revenge on Takigakure has been completed," said Hiruzen as he looked over the stoic faces of the various clan heads.

They all were serious, but even then their personalities still bled through. For example, Shikaku leaned back heavily in his chair while Hiashi had perfect posture. Shibi barely seemed to register anything was said while a small, vindictive smile spread across Tsume's face.

The clan heads were essentially archetypes of their clans which was probably something rooted in tradition and habit. Chouza, for example, had a flask on the table that Hiruzen knew was high in protein and made for a delicious meal.

The Akimichi were required to follow a strict diet in order to use their ninjutsu. They had developed a way to make their food be nutritious enough while also still being very delicious. This had the knock-on effect of the Akimichi being heavily involved in making soldier pills and other nutrients as well as being big in the restaurant business.

"They stole our jinchuuriki," said Fugaku his features and tone mirrored Hiashi's usual countenance, "How complete was our revenge?"

"Taki will never be the same again," said Hiruzen drawing the interest of the others, "The majority of their infrastructure is in tatters. The raiding team I sent in recovered their numbers, finances and shinobi registry. They'll be turned over to Research and Development to update our database. Furthermore, we have acquired a bevvy of their jutsu the most noteworthy being the Jiongu (Earth Grudge Fear)."

The last piece of information seemed to jolt a few of them understandably. The Jiongu was a well-known jutsu amongst the upper echelons of Konoha. Kakuzu of the Five Hearts was one of the few S-rank missing-nin not from the Big Five.

Taki had been tight-lipped about the inner details of the jutsu, but decades of intel and scouting had revealed some surprising aspects to the jutsu. There was Kakuzu's inexplicable longevity and his rather odd body structure, but what was most surprising was his ability to use all five elements with ease.

Hiruzen knew of only one other shinobi who could boast that.

"I imagine it'll be destroyed," said Tsume her nose curled in disgust, "That jutsu is an abomination, Hokage-sama."

"How naive," said Fugaku as he stared down Tsume, "The way in which the jutsu is activated may be...unsavoury, but it would be foolish to destroy such a powerful jutsu. Would you feel the same if we happened upon Kumo's Raiton no Yoroi (Lightning Release Armour) or Suna's puppetry techniques or even Onoki's Jinton (Dust Release)?"

"Enough."

Tsume and Fugaku halted their little spat after Hiruzen's call for silence. It was to be expected that they had a difference of opinion when it came to the Jiongu. The Inuzuka were upfront and direct fighters and had something of a moral code in fights.

At least compared to other clans.

The Uchiha, on the other hand, were not above doing anything to win. Their ability to copy any jutsu and cast strong genjutsu with a mere glance would definitely give way to looser morals. Tobirama-sensei had believed the Sharingan to cause the wickedness the Uchiha were known to possess.

In truth, the Senju were similar to the Uchiha. One did not remain one of the strongest clans in the richest country by having a strong moral code after all. Hashirama had been the true exception to the rule as he was known for his magnanimity than anything.

Except his strength, of course.

"The Jiongu will not be destroyed," said Hiruzen causing Tsume to scowl, "However, Tsume is right in saying it's an abomination. It will be declared an S-class kinjutsu. Only the sitting Kage may approve the usage of it."

That seemed to be enough to please Tsume and Fugaku did not seem bothered either. The Uchiha clan head was a rather proud man, but Hiruzen knew that more than anything Fugaku wanted to feel like he mattered.

It had been easy to see the man's discontent with how the Uchiha had been treated in the wake of the Kyuubi attack. Hiruzen, like many others, had seen the Sharingan in the Kyuubi's eyes. The village had blamed the Uchiha for the attack and Hiruzen had resorted to drastic measures to find out once and for all.

Inoichi had swept the minds of every Uchiha for signs of anything untoward. Fugaku had only very reluctantly agreed and despite how suspicious it appeared nothing had come up.

The inner workings of Inoichi's technique went far and beyond the heads of most of Konoha. However, it was as authentic as it could get for Konoha especially if it was performed by the clan head himself.

The Uchiha had been given more land as compensation and there had been more money allocated to the Uchiha Police Force. Finally, Hiruzen had greased the wheels of promotion for certain Uchiha including Fugaku's firstborn, Itachi as well as his nephew, Shisui.

It elevated the clan's status by a fair bit as they now had the highest share of jounin in the village with the Hyuuga. Previously they had been a fair bit behind the Hyuuga, but they now stood on equal footing.

Hiashi was not on the best of terms with Fugaku, but the man was far less prone to reckless decisions. His wife died giving birth to his twin daughters, but Hizashi, Hiashi's younger brother, was still there to provide his own support to Hiashi.

"Excuse my bluntness, Hokage-sama," said Shikaku his voice coming slow and dry, "What we have done will cripple Taki for sure, but I just don't see how this will last. The jutsu will go a long way, but they will rebuild and the information will soon be outdated. The only way I could see them not being able to recover is if you–"

Shikaku paused as he sat up straighter in his seat. His eyes were wide open and he seemed to be muttering to himself under his breath. This only lasted for a few seconds before he sighed heavily as he held his head in his hands.

"Did you do what I think you did, Hokage-sama?" Shikaku's voice was an odd mix of surprise, hesitation and grudging respect.

"Sharp as always, Shikaku," said Hiruzen and the other councillors seemed confused except for Hiashi who already knew what Shikaku was talking about.

"We have a new jinchuuriki."

Silence.

"I understand this is a lot to get through, " Hiruzen continued as the others processed the news, "This will of course require us to be prepared for future conflict and this leads me into my next point."

"The backlash from the other villages will be immense," said Hiruzen and it was rather comforting to see that the others had already processed the news he had dropped on them.

"What do you propose we do?"said Fugaku serious as ever, "The Uchiha are behind you on whatever path you may choose. Konoha is our home and we'll stop at nothing to protect it."

Fugaku's declaration was mirrored by all of the other clans. It was a smart move. Fugaku was the first to act and that reasserted the Uchiha's loyalty to the village. The other clans followed suit and while they had been moved to do so by Fugaku, Hiruzen believed they would all deliver on their word.

"Thank you," said Hiruzen as he channelled chakra into a seal on the table, "I believe with your help we can guide our village through any obstacles that lay in our path."

There was a knock at the door before Hiruzen's secretary walked in holding a few scrolls. She handed them out to each of the clan head and he waited patiently as they read through it. It was a rather long read, but the clan head all finished reading within a minute.

"You wish to...revamp the Academy?" said Shibi as he set his scroll down, "This plan could work, but not with the current Academy staff."

"That's correct," said Hiruzen, "This is why I'll need some funds and members from your clans to lend a hand."

The system was only going to be put in place in a year's time, but time was of the essence. The biggest issue with the Academy was how it treated all Genin the same. Whether they had immense potential for Genjutsu or a body shape suited for a certain style, they all learned the same.

This was not quite as problematic for those from clans. They already had experienced sensei who were able to guide them as they developed. Plus, all clans had jutsu that gave them another edge over their civilian-born counterparts.

"As you saw we need to keep our output of Genin high," said Hiruzen drawing a few nods, "Numbers still count and our enemies would smell blood in the water if the graduation rate was too low. We do not want a Bloody Mist situation on our hands."

Kiri's decision had been strange. They had tried too hard to produce strong shinobi. Killing half of all potential graduates was a supreme waste of resources. Even if Genin were not cut out for battle, they could become medics, scouts or even weapon-makers.

This would not be like Kiri.

"The new system will be rather similar to the current one," said Hiruzen seeking to explain what they had read further, "Throughout their five years at the academy they will focus on physical conditioning as well as chakra theory and shinobi basics."

"There will be a deeper focus on the main three branches," said Hiruzen, "Better suited taijutsu styles for those who want them and an on-site library with ninjutsu and genjutsu scrolls. Aside from the Academy three, students should be able to perform the first stage of their elemental affinity, two ninjutsu and break a C-rank genjutsu within a certain timeframe."

None of the clan head had any problems with this as it was simply a extended version of their wartime curriculum that had resulted in gems like the Sannin and Kakashi, but also brought along the mental issues they suffered from.

"This will not severely impact our growth rate while still boosting the average graduate's skill set," said Hiruzen, "The next stage of the plan is to induce more quality into the system through the best of these Genin."

The revised plan would make more competent Genin, but Hiruzen wanted to fully exploit the potential of the most exceptional students of each year. The Elite program, as it was called, would only take in the very best and seek to play to the strengths of these Genin.

These Elite genin would still officially be genin upon graduation, but their level would be closer to that of chuunin. Hiruzen expected a much higher level of failure, but he believed the pay off would be immense.

It usually took the average shinobi three years to become Chuunin and only a fraction of those made the leap to jounin which often took around a decade. These Elite graduates would cut down on that time by more than half and even the 'failures' would still be better off than most current genin.

"The Elite program will take in the top 30 of each year and they'll be given access to higher-level material and fields outside of the main three, such as medical ninjutsu and fuinjutsu," said Hiruzen, "They'll have higher requirements for passing such as being able to counter better Genjutsu, being more adept with their element and so on. The Elite program will be costly, but I believe it will help us."

"I imagine the clans will be the ones to fund and push this program?" said Hiashi drawing a nod from Hiruzen.

"Yes. We need better teachers throughout the Academy and the clans are the best place to get them," said Hiruzen, "As a tradeoff, I'll allow all clan shinobi to enter the Elite program if they fail to qualify, but the clan will be expected to pay for that specific student."

The students at the academy would now be able to develop strong bonds with each other, but with the Elite program would also add an edge of healthy competition.

Some civilians may be upset at clans being able to buy their way in, but the clans were footing the bill and providing the bulk of the added personnel. It was a fair trade, in Hiruzen's eyes at least.

There was still more to be discussed on other matters, but that would follow. One of them being the development of the jinchuuriki. Hiruzen was sure that their identities would be leaked soon to all corners of the continent.

They were big targets and they needed to be prepared for that when they began their missions. Luckily, he already had a plan for that. No one, but the bravest of fools would think to mess with them if Hiruzen had his way.

* * *

The sound of Naruto's fists hitting the training post echoed through the training ground. Left. Right. Left. Right. Over and over again. Sweat was dripping down his face and his breathing was slowly becoming heavier.

Naruto wiped the sweat out his eye before delivering one last punch. The crack of his knuckles hitting the wood burst through the training ground and Naruto used that as a cue to finish his training.

Naruto put his hands on his head as he walked off his tiredness. He reached the edge of the training ground before crouching down to pick up his bag and the open scroll on the floor. Naruto picked up the scroll he was reading from.

It had been almost a year since he'd been abducted by that guy from Taki. Naruto still did not know why he had been picked out and he was pretty sure the old man knew exactly why. There was something that he wasn't being told.

The old man had, at least, promised to tell Naruto once he was 'ready'. That didn't do much to soften the blow for Naruto. It annoyed him that he did not know and he was sure he would have gone mad if he didn't have the scroll from the old man.

It had the basic stances and movements of a Taijutsu style in it. It was one of similar gifts for his seventh birthday and Naruto was truly happy to have gotten them. He was due to start the academy in a few weeks and at least he'd be near the level of the clan kids. Apparently, they started training from five years old.

He'd still been kicking a ball around in the orphanage when he was five.

The other scrolls he had been given were pretty cool. There was one on how to train his body to become stronger and faster. It was slow work, but it did a lot to take Naruto's mind off of how bored he was.

The others had a mix of stuff on them. How to throw kunai and shuriken, pictures and exercises of the various handseals and ,Naruto's personal favourite, the Henge jutsu (Transformation technique).

He hadn't made much progress on the technique yet. His fingers still got mixed up when he went through the handseals and his transformations always looked way off. It was exciting though. The stuff he could one day do with chakra took up a lot of his daydreaming.

Naruto still remembered what that Anbu had told him on the day of the festival. If he wanted to be the best, he would have to make his own jutsu. The old man couldn't spoon-feed him everything. Naruto had to get stronger by himself.

That was who he could count the most.

A sharp whistle drew his attention and Naruto sighed as he realised he had wandered into the Warehouse District. He usually tried to stay the hell away from this place, but his feet must have carried him here on instinct.

The Warehouse District was filled with empty and worn down warehouses that no one really paid any attention to. There were no locks on doors and the Anbu and police form stayed far away from here because the foot traffic was low.

This made it a popular spot for gangs to frequent. In reality, they were just a bunch of kids that hung out together and liked causing trouble so calling them gangs was something of a stretch. That didn't stop them from trying to act like them though.

The buildings were tagged with the symbols and colours of the many, many gangs and wannabes that frequented the area. There were a lot of them. Even now, Naruto could see a whole of different symbols on the walls and doors everywhere.

Naruto did not pay a lot of attention to what went on here, but he had been annoyed enough times by the people in here that he knew it was best to stay away from here. The gangs were made up of civilians, academy students and some genin that apparently had nothing better to do.

He had once seen a fight between two gangs and while things never went too far, he knew it wasn't for him. If he had to fight he would get things done on his own. Numbers meant nothing if someone was strong enough to take you all out.

Naruto wanted to be that someone.

There was a commotion up ahead and Naruto sighed as he saw two other kids walking down the road. He recognised one of them instantly. Han was the kid he'd pegged with stink bombs all that time ago. Naruto hadn't seen the boy since and hopefully Han had cooled down by now.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me! What are you doing here, Uzumaki?"

Or not.

"Leave me alone," said Naruto as he tried to weave around the two boys. That didn't work out as Han stepped in front of him and his friend circled behind to stand behind Naruto.

"I haven't seen you in forever," said Han ignoring Naruto's earlier statement entirely, "What was it that you did again? Do you remember, Jiren? I just can't remember."

All of this was said mockingly of course. Naruto knew Han remembered the stink bombs. They had been pretty potent and it would have taken a long while to get the smell off his clothes. It was just a game before they tried something.

"Oh yeah," said Han as he snapped his fingers, "You threw stink bombs on me. Do you know how long it took to get the smell out? It took a week! I had to shower like twenty times in three days!"

Foolishly, Naruto made the mistake of smiling and while had been quick to suppress it, Han had still seen it clear as day. He pushed Naruto to the ground and Naruto's bag was thrown off the shoulder it was hanging on.

Naruto tried to reach for it, but Jiren pushed him back down to the ground with his foot. Han swiped up Naruto's bag before opening it up. He took out a sandwich and unwrapped it before taking a large bite of it.

He then dropped to the floor and stepped on it all while digging through Naruto's bag. Naruto was about ready to start a fight when Han pulled out his scroll from the old man. He opened the scroll and Naruto frowned as he saw Han's eyes gleam in interest.

"You have a Taijutsu scroll?" Han's surprise was clear as day, "How did a loser like you get one? When I was in the academy, we never got anything like this. This village just favours the clans, which is just bullshit. Normal people like me never have a chance."

"That was a gift," said Naruto as he rose to his feet, "Give it back."

"I don't think so," said Han as he read through the scroll, "This style looks pretty good. Knee strikes, elbows and even slams and grappling. It doesn't have a name, though. I'll just call it the Hanken. It'll be what my gang uses to take over this place."

"No ways," said Naruto his eyes narrowing, "That scroll is mine. Give it back."

"Or what?" said Jiren a smirk crossing his face, "You'll beat us up?"

Jiren and Han laughed at the idea of Naruto beating them up and the sound caused Naruto's body to tense. Neither of the boys were paying attention to Naruto as they continued to laugh and this made it easy for Naruto to strike.

Naruto lashed out with a kick that connected full onto Jiren's side. The boy keeled over and Naruto delivered a right cross to the dazed boy's face. Naruto was happy to see the boy go down, but that did not last as a punch from Han slammed into his face.

Stars swam in Naruto's vision and he ended up backing into a wall. Jiren was still on the ground, but Han closed in on Naruto. He delivered a strong punch that slammed Naruto into the wall behind him. His head bounced off the wall and it made Naruto groan in pain.

"I was going to let you go, but now I'm gonna enjoy this," said Han as he raised his fist.

Naruto tracked his fist as it was pulled back and then launched forward. Naruto ducked and the fist sped over his hand before slamming into the wall. There was a loud crack before Han screamed holding his hand in pain.

Naruto wasted no time.

He slammed a kick right into Han's balls. He let out a wheeze as he crumpled down to his knees before Naruto followed up with a punch to his face. The sound of the punch echoed around the street as Han fell down cradling his jaw and groin.

The two boys were down and out and Naruto moved quickly to pick up his scroll and bag before running off. Naruto ran all the way to his apartment before finally slowing to a stop.

There was now a guard booth at the bottom of his apartment. There was a chuunin reading a magazine and she grunted a greeting as Naruto went up the stairs. That was one thing that the old man had told him about. There would now be a chuunin that guarded his apartment.

It was actually a bit comforting. Naruto knew he had been lucky that those two Anbu had found him. If it hadn't been for them, he could have been lying in some dungeon or worse. He still felt embarrassed that he was weak enough to get taken so easily.

It wasn't an accident that he'd been taken. He had met the Taki leader on that day and later the same night he'd been taken. The Hokage didn't dwell on it much, but Naruto had a gut feeling he was taken on purpose.

Naruto reached his door and after opening the door he shut it behind. He put down the wooden bar and closed the latch on the door before putting down his bag.

Naruto took out his Taijutsu scroll and despite the day's earlier events he couldn't help, but feel proud of himself. His work was paying off. Sure, Han and Jiren dropped out of the academy, but they were both older than him and outnumbered him.

He didn't even feel sore from their fight anymore.

He still had a long way to go, though. He was lucky that Han had punched the wall instead of his face. Naruto's technique was improving, but there was a difference between practising off a scroll and being in an actual fight.

Naruto needed to find a way to practice his style with an actual partner. He didn't want to bother the old man with something so stupid, but at the same time, he didn't know anyone who would be willing to spar with him.

Han and Jiren had only fought him because they were trying to make a new gang–

"That's not a bad idea," Naruto mused as an idea popped into his head, "No, wait. It's actually a _great_ idea."

The Warehouse District was packed with people just itching to start a fight over their gang stuff or whatever. Naruto had a different plan. He was going to be his own gang. It would keep him busy and he could get down to practising and tweaking his taijutsu style.

A kick to the nuts was not a part of the listed stances and strikes, but it should have been. It worked so well. Maybe there would be other stuff he could add to it? That Anbu did say he had to put his own spin on things.

First thing first, though.

"What to call you?" Naruto said as he held up the scroll. Apparently, taijutsu styles only got a name when they became famous. If Naruto was going to make this style famous then he might as well slap his name on it.

"I'll call it the Uzuken," said Naruto tasting the word on his lips.

_Perfect_.

Naruto put the scroll with the others on his bookshelf and took out the scroll on handseals and chakra control. It would make for a decent pastime while he ate. Maybe he'd finally get the bird seal down.

That one hurt.

* * *

"Come on, Hashiro," taunted Naruto as he stood over a boy laying on the ground, "Giving up already? You're 13! I'm only 9 for crying out loud! Get up and be a man!"

"Aren't you turning 10 soon?" said a voice in the crowd surrounding them that Naruto chose to ignore.

People got way too hung up on the details sometimes.

"Just give me a second, you dick," said Hashiro as he finally rose to his feet, "You got lucky with that shit, you loser. That was a cheap shot! You don't go for the nuts. Where's your honour?"

Naruto had two choices. He could give the right answer and tell Hashiro that this was a basic shinobi principle. A dirty trick was a good trick. That had been drilled into Naruto's head during his first three years in the Academy. Honour didn't win you fights.

Now, that was the safe option. Maybe the lesson would stick with Hashiro too once he graduated. Naruto could also choose the fun option.

"I think I left it with your mom last night."

There was silence for just one moment before the crowd broke it.

There were howls and jeers as Hashiro grew embarrassed the angry at Naruto's taunt. He rushed the shorter boy with newfound vigour and Naruto was forced to keep a step ahead of the other boy.

Naruto bobbed and weaved around Hashiro's punches something that served to make the teen madder. Hashiro's frustration boiled over as he screamed launching another punch at Naruto.

Naruto did not dodge. He caught Hashiro's arm before pulling him in close. Naruto tripped Hashiro who fell face-first onto the ground. Naruto knelt on Hashiro's back facing to the side. He pulled Hashiro's arm up and past his back putting stress on the shoulder.

"Rakkaki (Falling Tree)!," spat Naruto as he continued to pull on Hashiro's arm. The boy failed and screamed under Naruto before he tapped his free hand on the ground repeatedly.

"I quit! I quit! Let go!" said Hashiro the pain evident in his voice. Naruto held it for a few seconds before finally letting go.

Naruto rose to his feet and there were a few cheers as he did so. Money or food or whatever exchanged hands as people collected on their bets. Naruto had also made a bet, but it was for something else.

"Where are they?" said Naruto as he looked at Hashiro who was still cradling his arm, "Come on, Hashiro. Don't tell me the leader of the Shirotora (White Tigers) would back down from our deal? You guys are like the third-biggest gang! You'd get eaten up if either the Red Dragons or the Mawari (Fringe) come down on you..."

"Kaido," growled Hashiro as Naruto's warning silenced the crowd around them, "Get him his prize."

A boy ran into one of the open warehouses before he came out with two wooden tonfas. They had a sleek design and had tape wrapped around the handles. Naruto took them from Kaido and he twirled them around before finally putting them in his bag.

"Thanks for these," said Naruto smirking at Hashiro's pissed off face, "These tonfas are great. I don't know where you got them, but they look pretty great. I can't believe you put them on the line just to make me join your gang."

The tonfas were almost definitely stolen from a shinobi store. However, Hashiro had pulled it off did not matter. They weren't his anymore. Hashiro finally rose to his feet and even through the noise of the dispersing crowd his voice was still audible.

"That won't help you beat them, you know," said Hashiro a hint of pain still in his voice, "You're probably one of the best that fight here, but you're still just one guy. They'll tear you apart."

"They can try," said Naruto turning to face Hashiro, "I don't need anyone's help. If they beat me then I'll just stand up and try again."

Naruto turned away from Hashiro and he looked up to the sky. It was almost time for the meeting at the Academy. Today, they were finding out who made the cut into the Elite program. Naruto had spied on some of the Elite students in the year above him and they were crazy.

There was some Hyuuga who looked like he could destroy Naruto. He was really fast. There was some girl who could use so many different weapons which looked expensive, but awesome and there was even this one kid who had pretty great taijutsu.

Spying on the higher classes was something Naruto did whenever he could. Especially for chakra theory. It really helped with developing his first two jutsu. Naruto's life was a balancing act between training, the Academy and working on his new techniques.

The Academy took up more time than he would have liked, but it was still extremely useful. He found his strongest affinity was wind which was said to be rather. That was great since most people had fire, but it also sucked because most people had fire.

It was the Land of Fire to be fair.

The Academy library was actually more comprehensive than Naruto expected even if the wind jutsu were lacking compared to the other four elements. Maybe once he got a few wind jutsu down he would look at the other elements.

Naruto channelled chakra to his feet before running up the side of one of the warehouses. He hopped on the rooftops as he made way for the Academy. Today he'd find out if he made it into the Elite program or not.

Naruto was sure he got in, but either way, he had to attend this meeting. His year was about 250 strong so a lot of people wouldn't make the cut. That sucked, but it was what it was. Not everyone became a Kage after all.

* * *

"Welcome students," said a woman with long hair and kind eyes, "Today, I'll be explaining the Elite system in full. After my explanation, I'll name the students whose grades were good enough to qualify for the program."

Naruto sat in a seat near the back of the hall they were in. The room was packed to the brim and there were chuunin lined up on each row. The room smelt strongly of sweat and panic.

A lot of students were hoping they would make it in. Their grades were kept private and they were only told if they were being held back or if they passed. It made it near impossible to guess where exactly one stood.

Naruto's strengths were in taijutsu, ninjutsu and chakra theory. Shinobi Basics was a broad spectrum that included stealth, kunai and shuriken usage as well stuff like trap construction, destruction and detection.

The only fields Naruto lagged in was genjutsu, history and chakra control. The last two were more than balanced by how he did in the other Shinobi Basics. Chakra control was probably the worse of the Basics, though. He couldn't walk on water like quite a few of the other genin and had failed that aspect of his test.

As for genjutsu, he had some trouble with casting them. He could break them and he could tell he was in one usually, but he could not cast them at all. It was frustrating because he knew the mechanics of genjutsu, but it always seemed just beyond his capabilities.

Iruka-sensei had said it was due to his chakra control that while only adequate did not quite match up to his reserves. That was only one half of the puzzle, though. The more complicated part was that everyone's chakra had a disposition towards one of three branches.

It wasn't an exact science, but it was said this was why certain clans excelled in certain disciplines. It was said that the more one practised, the more you could change your alignment. It was why one of the prerequisites of becoming jounin was being proficient in all three of the main fields.

"Okay," said the woman at the bottom of the hall, "My name is Mikoto Uchiha and I am the director of the Elite program as well as the academy. You are some of the first to go through the revamped curriculum and soon you'll be the first graduates."

Mikoto paused for a moment before continuing, "As you know your grades were kept strictly confidential. This was to prevent complacency as well as to not breed any form of discouragement. Your grades have been vetted multiple times by various shinobi and the results are final."

"That being said, it is still possible for a student to get dropped from the Elite program," Mikoto said causing a few students to perk up, "A high standard is required to remain in the program. It is very costly to the clans and our village and as such expectations will be high."

"The requirements to pass will be in the leaflets the chuunin to your sides will hand out. Please take one and pass it along."

The sound of murmuring filled the room as the students read the requirements of the program. Naruto took the stack of papers from a green-haired girl before handing the stack over.

Naruto read through the leaflet as he tried to find anything that stuck out. Some of the stuff was not too out there. For taijutsu, they needed a better score to pass. Genjutsu required them being able to break out of higher and more genjutsu as well as be able to cast them. That didn't bode well for Naruto.

Ninjutsu looked to have the biggest change of them all. They needed to know five jutsu aside from the academy Three to pass. Elemental jutsu got you higher points, but only to a certain extent. The last notable thing was that they needed to advance to the second stage of their affinity.

Naruto had been trying to cut a leaf for years and he was close, but not quite there. If he managed to pull all of that off then he would get a perfect score in ninjutsu which was awesome. Naruto turned his attention back to Mikoto who continued to explain what he had skimmed over.

The main sticking point was more advanced classes, but it turned out they could still pass even if they didn't meet all the requirements. That calmed Naruto down significantly. His Genjutsu needed some major work and he wasn't sure he'd make it on time.

"One last thing before I announce the names," Mikoto said as she put her leaflet down, "The Elite program will allow a student to study three additional disciplines. The requirements to pass those vary from subject to subject and you'll be taught by some of the premier shinobi in the village."

Mikoto began to list off the fields and Naruto found himself intrigued by a few of them. Bukijutsu (Weapon techniques) sounded great since Naruto already had two tonfas. There was a separate class for Kenjutsu that specifically focused on swords.

There were more fields than he expected. Assassination and infiltration. Tracking. Interrogation. Medical Ninjutsu. Poison creation. Seduction. The list went on. There was even Fuinjutsu. However, the one that drew Naruto's attention was Advanced Chakra and Jutsu theory.

It was a theoretical class, but it would help Naruto out immensely with making his own jutsu. He hit a wall on his third technique and his first two were still a long, long, long way from perfect.

"Without further ado, the thirty students being inducted into the Elite program are...Shino Aburame, Chouji Akimichi..."

It seemed like the list was in alphabetical order and that seemed to dawn on the others in the room. Groans and sighs were filling the room as their names were passed by. There was a high amount of clan students, but still, quite a few civilians like Sakura made it in.

Naruto was on edge as he waited for Mikoto to reach the U's. The atmosphere in the room was decidedly dour and that had begun to play on his nerves. Finally, Mikoto made it to the letter U. There were maybe four or five spots left and a lot of people around them still held out hope.

"–Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha," said Mikoto and Naruto nodded his head. Of course, Sasuke was in. His taijutsu was pretty good from what Naruto had seen. Apparently, his dad was the clan head and it would probably be a travesty if he didn't make it in.

"Finally, Naruto Uzumaki, Ino Yamanaka and Fū," said Mikoto and Naruto punched the air as the woman continued to speak, "Your classes begin on Monday. Those in the Elite program need to register for their add-ons at the office before leaving. Thank you."

Naruto rose to leave, but he bumped into the girl with the green hair from earlier.

"Sorry about that," said Naruto before he jumped onto the desks and jumped out the window.

The foot traffic would be intense in the hallways and Naruto had better things to do. He made it to the office ahead of everyone and he was already fully decided on what he wanted.

Advanced Chakra and Jutsu theory was a definite. There was no way he'd leave it off the list. If he wanted to develop and master his own jutsu then he needed the knowledge to do so.

Bukijutsu was next. Naruto needed to learn how to use his tonfa and it would be better if he had an instructor that knew what Naruto was doing wrong. Maybe he'd pick up another weapon like that girl with the weird hair.

The last was a bit tricky. Trap-making looked solid. Tracking also seemed like a good idea, but ultimately Naruto settled on fuinjutsu. It was an esoteric art, but Naruto felt like he was up for the challenge.

A few squiggles and then you could seal away stuff in a scroll or make explosion or barriers and other crazy stuff. It was not a popular field because a lot of the concepts flew directly over people's heads. Naruto wasn't too discouraged, though. If worst came to worst, he'd swap to trap-making or something.

Naruto filled out his form and soon he was outside again. There were a couple of students who looked delighted, but the vast majority of them looked gutted. That was just how things worked out.

Win some, lose some.

The day was still young and Naruto weighed up working on his ninjutsu or breaking in his tonfa. In the end, he decided to head on over to the Warehouse District. Maybe someone was up for a fight.

* * *

Naruto breathed heavily as he ran through the streets of the Warehouse District. He had been having fun for a few hours before Hashiro had shown up in a cast.

To make a long story short, some words were said, feelings were hurt and Naruto had to run from like thirty of Hashiro's goons. The rooftops weren't an option since they would draw way too much attention if they went up there.

Naruto knew they had split up and were trying to pen him in, but three years had ingrained the layout of the Warehouse District into his head. Of he kept running, he'd make it into the Uchiha District and he'd be home free.

The Uchiha District had a lot of fancy shops and restaurants that shinobi and civilians frequented. There would be way too many people for Hashiro to try anything.

The gates into the District were up ahead and thankfully the guards were gone. Maybe they were on patrol or something. Unfortunately, one of Hashiro's goons had managed to get there ahead of him.

Naruto kept running before channelling a large amount of chakra to his feet. He kicked off the ground and sailed straight over his assailant's head. He landed heavily on a rooftop, but he kept up running.

Unfortunately, the sun was now done and that combined with the Uchiha District being somewhere rather foreign to Naruto, he got lost. He spent around ten minutes hopping on the rooftops before dropping to the ground.

Hopefully, someone could direct him home.

He had wandered into a residential area and there was virtually no foot traffic. The lights inside all the houses were off and what had previously been a slightly awkward situation became downright creepy.

There was no one in the streets. What the hell was going on? Did the Uchiha have a meeting or something? Naruto wandered the area for a bit longer before sighing in relief as he heard voices.

There was a house with lights on and open doors. Naruto made for the door and what had previously been unintelligible rubbish turned into clear voices.

"Our standing in the village has improved," said a man's voice, "The plan is no more necessary. Do not be rash here, boy. You've been made an Anbu captain. You have an A-rank in the bingo book. What more do you want?"

"The Uchiha deserve more than what we have," said a much younger voice, "You've seen the power of the Mangekyo. My Mangekyo. If everyone were to activate their own then–"

"Do not mention that evil eye," the voice of an older woman growled, "What's gotten into you? The others would be disappointed to hear what you've become."

"Very well," said the younger boy, "Is that your final choice, mother and father?"

"We can still fight," said the man, but there was a sudden burst of smoke before two loud thumps echoed out into the street.

Naruto froze as he heard the sound of a sword being put back into its holster. What the hell was going on? Did Naruto really stumble onto a fucking murder scene?

Naruto stepped back as he tried to move away from the house, but dread filled him as the light emanating from the house was cut off. A tall shadow stood in the doorway and his red eyes were staring directly at Naruto.

"Uzumaki," said the man his voice sending a chill down Naruto's spine, "How unfortunate. For you."

Naruto wasted no time as he took off running in the opposite direction. He had to find someone before–

"Stop," said a voice in front of him and Naruto froze as the man from before stood in front of him, "You can't get away from me, jinchuuriki."

Jinchuuriki? What the fu–

"Oh, of course, you don't know," said the man before his red and black eyes began to spin, "Allow me to educate you."

Images flashed through Naruto's head. A giant fox with nine vast and flowing tails stood over Konoha. Fireballs and water dragons slamming into the orange fur of the fox to no avail. Buildings were cut down left and right as it moved through the village.

The fox shot a large sphere towards the Hokage Monument. Metres away from impact, the sphere was sucked into a vortex of large symbols that were whipping through the air. A large toad suddenly fell on the Kyuubi before it disappeared.

The images sped up as images of a blonde child growing up sped through Naruto's head. A bulb went off in Naruto's head as he realised what he had seen. The Kyuubi was inside of–

"You," said the man and Naruto sunk to his knees, "The Kyuubi was sealed inside of you to consolidate the village's ultimate weapon. Why else would Taki abduct you?"

This was the secret? Did he hold the Kyuubi inside of him? Why didn't anyone tell him? Who else knew?

Naruto looked up at the man's eyes that were still a distinct red. The boy fell face-first on the ground as the man crouched down to his level.

"I guess I'll use you to send a message to the Hokage," said the man as he pulled out a kunai, but he was distracted by a girl's voice that came from further up the street.

"Shisui-nii? Is that you? Where are mom and dad? What are you doing? I got sent to call you to the meeting."

Shisui looked at the girl and a second after she met his gaze she collapsed in a heap. Shisui was about to stand but paused as he heard Naruto whisper something under his breath. It was only his proximity to the boy that allowed him to hear what he was trying to say.

"You fucking idiot. Rinkai Hoshi(Critical Star)!"

There was a bright burst of light and a second later Shisui was clutching his eyes as he screamed in pain. Naruto rose up from where he'd used his body to shield his hands. They were still in the bird handseal, but Naruto dropped the seal as he picked up the girl and just ran ignoring the pain in his chakra coils.

He didn't even bother looking back as he skipped over the rooftops. The girl in his arms was twitching like crazy and Naruto realised she must have been caught in a genjutsu. What was up with that guy? Were all families like this?

Naruto realised belatedly that he had left his bag behind and he felt like dying. Naruto slowed to a stop before he chanced a look behind him. He was glad to see that he wasn't being followed.

That all changed as he turned back in front of him and Shishi stood his blade drawn out.

"That's a unique jutsu," said Shisui his voice sounding deceptively calm, "A bright flare of chakra that overloads the nerves and receptors in the eyes. You even got it off while my Sharingan was on. Is that why you fell on the ground? You should be proud, jinchuuriki."

Shisui looked down at the girl in Naruto's arms, "I see you took my sister. I'm afraid she's dealing with seeing me kill our parents in many different ways. The damage will be done when she wakes up."

"Now die."

There was a flash of silver as Shisui's blade swept through the air. Naruto closed his eyes and prepared for the worst, but it never came. Instead, there was a clang and Naruto felt the air grow colder.

Naruto opened his eyes and he was shocked to see chains wrapped around Shisui and his blade. The man seemed just as shocked as Naruto felt, but before either of them could say anything another person jumped onto the roof.

"Shisui," said a teen in a mask, "What is this?"

"Itachi," Shisui's voice was slow and full of superficial mirth, "How nice to see you."

"Stand down, Shisui," said Itachi his hand on the handle of his sword, "Don't make things worse than they are."

"It's too late for that."

Naruto saw Shisui's body begin to glow before he was pulled back by someone. There was a loud explosion that shot up into the sky. Naruto's ears were ringing and his skin tickled as a wave of heat passed over him.

Naruto only had a moment to see the mask of an Anbu looking down on him before he passed out. The last thing on Naruto's mind was the shuriken-like pattern in Shisui's eyes before he exploded.

* * *

**Jutsu List:**

**Jiongu (Earth Grudge Fear):**

**The Earth Grudge Fear is a secret kinjutsu of Takigakure which transforms the user's body into something similar to that of a rag-doll, held together by hundreds of thick black threads. The technique then allows the user to consume the hearts of their enemies and add them onto their own power. S-rank.**

**Raiton no Yoroi (Lightning Release Armour):**

**The user wraps their body in a layer of lightning chakra to increase their physical parameters, with more lightning causing greater increases. S-rank.**

**Jinton (Dust Release)**

**A combination of earth, wind, and fire. To perform Dust Release, users form a small three-dimensional object (e.g. a cube, a cone, etc.) out of chakra in their hands. The object expands once released by the user and moves astonishingly fast at its target; anything that passes through it (or that is passed through by it) is disintegrated on a molecular level. Signature Jutsu of Onoki the Tsuchikage.**

**Uzuken (Whirlpool Fist)**

**A taijutsu style given to Naruto by the Hokage. It is characterized by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees, and shins. It is also an effective grappling style allowing one to eliminate certain strikes and melee weapons from being used on the practitioner. Naruto has added slams, throws and holds that he likes to the Uzuken one of them being the Rakkaki. **

**Rakkaki (Falling Tree)**

**A grounded armbar with the opponent lying on his belly, the aggressor lies on the opponent's back, at a 90° angle to him, putting some or all of his weight on the opponent to prevent him from moving. The opponent's arm is then hooked and pulled back into his body, stretching the forearms, biceps and pectoral muscles. D-rank.**

**Rinkai Hoshi (Critical Star)**

**Naruto's first Jutsu. A bright flash of chakra is emitted by Naruto. The flash of chakra is bright enough to overload the nerves and receptors in the eye. Causes dizziness, headaches and potentially migraines. Severity increases with closer distances between user and target. C-rank.**

* * *

**Author Notes:**

**Hey, guys. I hope you're all doing well. Here's the third chapter and while it isn't as busy as the last chapter it has some meat in it. Shisui has a storyline in this. Yay? He's kinda a bad guy.**

**Naruto is finding his style and has chakra chains because it is sexist that only Uzumaki women can get them. Just kidding. Sort of. Not really. Anyways, I have big plans for the story and if you make it that far I hope you'll enjoy it. Naruto is decidedly different from canon, but I feel like getting abducted would change one's behaviour especially at such a young age. **

**He won't be dressing up in all-black or whatever, though. He just has a different approach to things and I really tried to make that evident. He can still crack jokes, but I mean being dead honest it's a fucking miracle being an outcast didn't break the poor kid. I don't do so well with social isolation.**

**Speaking of social isolation, stay home if you can guys. There's a lot of misinformation being spread about Coronavirus and even if you're not at risk you might give it to someone who is. Stay informed, obey lockdown if you can and remember this is everybody's fight. Every little bit helps.**

**Please tell me what you thought of this chapter. Not as action-packed as the last one, but I'd argue it was just as important. My PMs are always open if you want to ask something about the story or whatever. Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, they were great.**


	4. Ascent

**This came out a bit later than I would have liked, but I'm finally done. It's about 10K so at least that makes up for the wait a little bit. Also, I can't remember if I've said this, but this isn't a harem. I've got the pairings down and they'll pan out sooner or later. Some of you guys may be disappointed, but it is what it is, unfortunately.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one.**

* * *

Hinata breathed heavily as she circled Hanabi. Both of them had their Byakugan active and so Hinata knew that her twin sister was just as aware of the crowd surrounding them in the training ground. Their father's face was as stoic as ever as he watched their spar from his position on the sidelines.

Hinata's body ached from Hanabi's Jyuuken strikes and she knew that she did not have much left in the tank. Hanabi was in much better shape than Hinata and she knew it would take something special to beat her.

Hanabi stopped circling as she sprinted towards Hinata. Hinata waited for Hanabi before she began working overtime to deflect her twin's onslaught of palm strikes. Hinata's muscles screamed at her as Hanabi sped up her assault leaving no room for Hinata to counter.

Finally, Hanabi was able to break past Hinata's guard. A strike smashed into her stomach then her forearm then both of legs leaving Hinata in a world of pain. Hanabi momentarily dipped into a low stance a whisper barely escaping her lips.

"Hakke: Rokujuuyonshou (Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palm Strikes)!"

Hinata could barely even move as Hanabi stepped forward to begin her assault. Hinata tried to force her muscles to move, but it was pointless. Hanabi had leapt forward with her hand extended towards Hinata's midsection.

"Enough."

Hanabi stopped her advance upon the command of their father. Despite herself, Hinata let out a sigh as her twin deactivated her Byakugan. Hinata let out a sigh of relief before doing the same.

The crowd that had been watching them began to disperse having already seen who the winner of the spar was. Hinata was sure the only reason Hiashi had called off the spar was to spare her any further humiliation.

"That was a good performance, Hanabi," her father said and he nodded to dismiss her. Hanabi nodded and bowed before she left without even a glance towards Hinata.

Hinata watched as her sister walked away not looking terribly hurt which was the complete opposite of how Hinata felt. Hinata hadn't been pulling her punches, but it still felt like there was a gulf between her skill and Hanabi's.

That did not bode well for Hinata in her role as heiress.

"Go and freshen up, Hinata. We'll talk about your performance later," her father said before turning on his heel. Hinata was left alone in the sparring ring used by the Main House as he walked off. It took her a few seconds to begin moving, but it gradually grew easier as she walked on.

Hinata did her best to smile at the Branch and Main family members that would greet her as she walked past. Hinata knew she looked like she had been put through the wringer, but she was long used to walking through the Hyuuga estate after a long spar.

The estate was a vast thing. It covered a large part of the Hyuuga district– the second-largest clan district in the village. The rest of the district was made up of various restaurants and stores. These stores were either ran by other villagers who paid rent to the clan or they were owned and ran by Hyuuga members.

Luckily, the training fields were contained within the walls of the clan estate and so Hinata did not have to walk too far to get home.

The Main and Branch House lived in two separate sections that were made up of many houses. The Houses found in the Main family section were larger and more opulent. Due to their lower numbers, a fair few of the Main family houses were empty.

The richer and more affluent Branch members were allowed to live in standalone houses, but quite a few of them lived in the large hostel designated for them. Having a house assigned was just one of the many privileges that were only afforded to the Main family.

The Branch family could not own land. The Branch family had to request permission to become shinobi. The Branch family were essentially second-class citizens. The Caged Bird Seal was the biggest example of this.

All Hyuuya clan members had a seal that prevented their eyes from being removed. There had been many attempts by various enemies from the Warring Clan Era until today to obtain the Byakugan. The difference was in the seals used on both sides of the families.

The seal for the main family was applied at birth and was only ever visible if the Hyuuga in question performed a specific chain of handseals. The only one who knew the handseals, though, was the Clan Head.

The Caged Bird Seal was nothing like that. It was always placed on the forehead to serve as a reminder for the Branch family of their status. There was also a trigger that could cause pain and even death simply by using the bird seal.

The Caged Bird Seal only responded to Hyuuga chakra and so the seals were not a detriment towards Branch shinobi. As a matter of fact, the seal placed on Main family members acted as something of a key to allow the use of the Caged Bird Seal.

The seal was known to most of the shinobi force. It was a contentious issue for many, but only the Hokage had enough to sway Hinata's father, but even then it was a moot point.

Hinata knew that the clans enjoyed their autonomy within Konoha. If the Hokage were to trample on that then dissent could break out within the ranks. The Hokage was undoubtedly stronger than everyone in the clan, but strength was only one part of being a leader.

Diplomacy was just as important for a successful leader or at least that's what she had been taught by her father as well as at the Academy.

Hinata was drawn from her thoughts as she realised she had made it to her house. It was far larger than any of the other houses within the compound and a large part of that was due to the number of servants that lived in it.

Hinata smiled as one of her clansmen opened the door for her. Hinata thanked the man, Ko, before making her way to her room. She had been spotted by a few handmaids and by the time she got to her room a robe was laid across her bed.

Hinata undressed and she folded her dirty clothes leaving them at the foot of her bed. They would probably be taken away by the time she was gone. Hinata put on the robe before she waddled her way to the bathroom.

The water was always warm and it soothed Hinata's aching muscles. Her tenketsu still throbbed with pain, but it was safer to let them unblock naturally. Reopening tenketsu using the Jūken put a lot of strain and was bad practice if done in excess.

It took maybe thirty minutes for Hinata to feel truly clean as scrubbed off the grime that had built up during the day. She made it to her room and she dressed in her usual clothes before picking her robe up intending to drop it off at the laundry room.

Hinata opened the door, but she was startled as Mai, one of the handmaids, stood outside the door. Hinata had dropped her robe, but Mai had already bent over to pick it up.

"I apologise for surprising you, Hinata-sama," Mai said as she picked the robe off the floor, "I was just about to knock. Your father has requested your presence in his study. Immediately."

Those words cause a surge of anxiety to run through Hinata. There was only ever one reason she was called to her father's study.

"It's not a problem, Mai," Hinata said as she forced herself to smile, "I'll go speak with my father. Thank you for telling me."

Hinata left Mai behind and as she took the familiar walk to her father's study, her anxiety only seemed to grow even further.

* * *

The door to his study was open.

Hinata knew that the desk was to the left of the door. Hinata made sure her footsteps were loud as she walked towards the door and sure enough her father must have heard her approach.

"Come in, Hinata. You can take a seat."

Hinata did as her father requested and she was greeted by the sight of two closed files on his desk. It was only as she sat down that she saw that one of the files had her name on it and the other had Hanabi's name on it.

"Do you want to be a shinobi, Hinata?"

"Excuse me?" Hinata said even though she had heard him clear as day. Her father did not seem to mind though as he repeated his question.

"Do you want to be a shinobi?"

"Of course I do," Hinata said her voice soft from exhaustion and shock.

"When your mother passed on the day of you and your sister's birth, I made her one promise," Hiashi said his eyes boring into Hinata, "I would make sure you would be strong enough to defend yourself and the clan."

"I've failed her," Hiashi said as he picked up the file with Hinata's name, "Your graduation is in three months and in here are your current assessments by your teachers."

Hinata took the file and she stayed composed as she read the file. The scores were said to be out of ten with 10 equalling or exceeding the maximum level assessed in the Academy. The average Genin was said to have 5's across the board. There was a vast range of categories which made for a rather candid

A few of them were very good in Hinata's opinion. Medical ninjutsu and trap detection being the two highest at 8.5 and 9 respectively. Her Byakugan contributed a lot to her achievements in these two fields. However, there were a few things underlined in red and these were the ones she paid attention to.

_Physical Strength: 5_

_Speed: 5.5_

_Taijutsu: 7_

_Hinata has shown a slight hesitancy towards hurting her classmates in spars. This has had an impact on the highlighted assessments. This could grow into a bigger issue once Hinata graduates and should be rectified as soon as possible. As a Hyuuga, it would be a massive waste if she never grew to use her Taijutsu to its fullest extent._

"Your sister's lowest grade was a 7.5," Hiashi said taking Hinata's file back from her, "Her Taijutsu was a perfect 10. I hope you can understand your predicament. You are the elder twin and should be the heiress, but Hanabi shows almost as much promise as Neji with the correct attitude. As much as it pains me to admit, you have been holding her back."

Hinata felt her anxiety gnaw away at her insides if she understood what her father was getting at. Hinata wanted to be a shinobi, but she could not help but feel like Hanabi and Neji far outstripped.

She was the last of three to activate her chakra. She was the last of three to activate her Byakugan. She was the last of three to figure out the Jūken. She was consistently far behind them in almost everything. Her father had usually been patient, but that did not seem to be the case anymore.

The writing was clearly on the wall. It was a fairly open secret that she was the least-suited of the three to lead the clan. Over the years, Hinata had overheard conversations and received pitying glances from various members.

All of those moments along with conversation told her everything she needed to know.

"Are you going to move me into the Branch family?"

"No," Hiashi said however Hinata did not react as she felt he had more to say, "I know all too well how that can ruin your relationship with Hanabi. However, I cannot ignore your lack of drive and passion."

"I am stripping you of your title as heiress to the Hyuuga," Hiashi said causing Hinata to lurch backwards in her seat, "I have established a new family within the Hyuuga clan. You will be the only current member of it which will allow you to remain a Main Branch member. This is for your own good, Hinata"

Hinata wanted to interject, but she could not find the right time to say anything as her father continued to explain his punishment.

"You will move into one of the empty Main family houses and your training will be left up to the Academy and eventually your sensei," said Hiashi his voice cold and unfeeling, "You will be given a sizeable stipend, but your status in the clan will have fallen considerably."

"Hanabi will be a great leader and this is the easiest way to keep your relationship intact," Hiashi said his voice growing a bit less severe, "Do you accept?"

Hinata was barely keeping herself together, but in the moment she knew there was only one choice. She nodded and her father's expression didn't even change a little bit.

"This is for the best, Hinata," Hiashi said as he rose to his feet, "You may continue to read your file. It's tied to a proximity seal so it may not outside the office or it will burn up. I am going to organise the moving of your belongings."

Hinata nodded to show her understanding before her father left his office closing the door behind him. The sound of footsteps faded entirely and it was only once it faded entirely that tears began to leak from her eyes.

* * *

"Oh, we've got you now, Uzumaki," said a boy with long brown hair and white eyes, "Did you _really_ think you could hide from my Byakugan?"

Naruto grit his teeth as he faced the boy who was a leader of a group of six boys. They all wore red scarves that pretty much identified them as members of the Red Dragons.

The leader, Ryoku, was a Hyuuga genin that had missed the cut into the Elite program. His goons were in the same boat, but some were Academy dropouts. For the past week, Naruto had been ambushing Red Dragon members until he could take on Ryoku one-on-one.

They played the numbers game and Naruto knew it was the only way he'd get a fair fight out of them. They had already beaten the crap out of him twice before so Naruto decided to play dirty.

He had beaten over half of them, but Ryoku caught him and it had been a long chase to the park that they were currently in. The Dragons were sweaty and looked to be itching for a fight.

Perfect.

Naruto snapped through three handseals causing the six boys to be on edge.

"Rinkai Hoshi (Critical Star)!"

The burst of light blinded all of the Dragons and Naruto ran straight for the smallest of the bunch. He slammed an uppercut into the boy's face before stomping down hard on his hand. Another boy was nearby and Naruto delivered a spinning kick that put him down for the count.

Two down, four to go.

Ryoku was the first to recover from Naruto's jutsu and he leapt forward with a palm strike. Naruto substituted with an unsuspecting Dragon and Ryoku could only redirect his attack to hit his comrade's leg.

"Oh man, poor Hiro," Naruto said smiling at Ryoku, "What did he do to deserve that?"

This seemed to piss off the other two Dragons who rushed Naruto, but that only worked in Naruto's favour. He leapt up into a tree nearby and he beckoned them with his hands as he kept up his taunts.

"Come up here, boys," Naruto said as the two stopped at the base of the tree, "Come on, just use your chakra to get up here."

Of course, Naruto knew that those two were Academy dropouts and as such were not able to get to him. Ryoku seemed to be staying back and Naruto was sure the boy was simply lying in wait.

"Stop being a pussy, Naruto! Get down here and fight!"

"Don't be like that, guys. Tell you what, if you want to leave I'll let you leave."

"What?"

"Yeah, you guys are cool," Naruto said before pointing his arms at Ryoku, "It's been a while since I fought in the District and I wanted to fight Ryoku, but as always he sicced you guys on me. He sounds like the real pussy. Do you guys just follow his orders like sheep?"

"Sheep?" muttered the taller of the two boys he exchanged a glance with his friend before as one they turned to Ryoku, "He's right! Why should we listen to–"

He was cut off as the sound of something hit the ground behind them. He and his friend turned in unison, but the last thing he saw was the bottom of a blue sandal before it smashed into his face.

The two boys collapsed from a dropkick from Naruto who quickly jumped back up to his feet. Naruto saw that they were still conscious, but they would definitely be out for the rest of the fight.

I can't believe you guys actually fell for that" Naruto said replaying the split dropkick he had dished out, "It needs a name. Hekikawa (Split River)? Sounds good. Hey, Ryoku–shit!"

Naruto was forced to duck as Ryoku leapt forward with a palm strike. The bough of the tree cracked as Ryoku's palm slammed into it. Ryoku's eyes were a clear white and bulging veins surrounding his eyes.

Naruto parried Ryoku's next palm strike before lashing out with a kick. Ryoku caught Naruto's kick and he was about to slam a palm into it when a burst of wind chakra separated the two of them.

Naruto calmed his breathing as he realised how lucky he had been. If Ryoku had gotten that hit off then one of Naruto's legs would have been incapacitated. Ryoku had been a genin for nearly a year now and it was clear he was no slouch.

That wouldn't stop him from getting his face pounded into the ground.

Naruto bit his thumb before he went through three handseals. He slammed his hand on the ground and there was a small explosion of smoke. The smoke cleared away to reveal Naruto holding his tonfa by the longer side of the shaft.

Ryoku still had his Byakugan active and he stared at Naruto cautiously. Naruto waited for him to charge, but instead, Ryoku went up in a puff of smoke. Naruto recognised the substitution and he whirled around before using his tonfa to strike Ryoku's wrist.

There was a loud crack and Naruto smiled as he knew he had done some damage. He used the crook of his tonfa where the handle met the shaft to pull in Ryoku by his injured arm. Naruto delivered crushing blows with his other tonfa across Ryoku's unguarded side before he pushed him back.

"Hekikawa (Split River)!"

Naruto jumped up and dropkicked Ryoku. His feet smashing into Ryoku's face and chest. The older boy was sent flying back as he slammed into the tree behind him. Ryoku collapsed in a heap and his Byakugan faded from his eyes.

"What do you think of the name now, you dick?"

Naruto walked up to him and unfurled the red scarf wrapped around Ryoku's neck. Ryoku could only groan lowly, but he didn't rise to his feet. Instead, he cradled his injured wrist as he glared up at Naruto.

"This is great quality," Naruto said as he regarded the scarf, "Much better than the ones these guys have. You guys can't wear scarves anymore."

"No ways–"

"Hey," Naruto said as he put the scarf on, "I work alone. I beat Hashiro's crew a while back and now they can't wear those awful black clothes. Same thing goes here. You can keep your buildings, but it'll cost you."

"How much?"

"Fifteen thousand sound good? It's the same as how much Hashiro has to pay," Naruto said drawing a shake of the head from Ryoku, "Fair enough, you guys do have more land. Twenty thousand it is."

"What! Where are we supposed to get that much money?" Ryoku asked as Naruto began to walk away.

"I don't know or care," Naruto said stooping down to pick up his tonfa, "Beg, borrow, steal. Dip into your savings. Do a few D-ranks. I mean I could always just kick you off the land instead? Aren't you a Hyuuga? You should be loaded."

"Fine," Ryoku said, "You'll get your money."

"Good to know."

Naruto walked off feeling like a thousand bucks as he left the Red Dragons battered and bruised. They would be fine. Probably. A good ass-kicking never hurt anyone.

"That doesn't sound quite right," Naruto said but he ignored it as a bout of hunger came over him, "I could really go for some ramen right now."

Naruto did not see the eyes of a girl following his every move from the far side of the park.

* * *

"Give me the usual," Naruto said as he slid into a seat at Ichiraku ramen, "Today was a good day."

"Hey, Ayame. How was your day, Ayame? Is that a new haircut, Ayame? Any rude customers, Ayame?" All this was said with exuberance before switching to a dry cadence at the end that made Naruto rather embarrassed.

"Uh, sorry," Naruto said feeling a bit embarrassed, "I'm just feeling a bit energised from training."

"You need better manners, Naruto," Ayame said now much calmer as she prepared a meal, "Manners make the man."

"Who said that?"

"I saw it in a movie," Ayame said as she began to stir the pot, "So your graduation is coming up? How's that going?"

"It's been pretty great," Naruto said as his fingers traced the cracks in the wood, "Genjutsu is still a pain, but I can handle it. Sort of. The rest is all good, though. I could probably beat Iruka-sensei blindfolded by now."

"I'll be sure to tell him you're so confident," Ayame said drawing a strangled gasp from Naruto, "Who knows maybe he'll make your exams easier?"

"I'll give you a good tip. Ten percent sound good?"

"Ten percent?"

"Twenty percent it is."

"Twenty percent?"

"Fine, fifty percent," Naruto said with a heavy sigh which seemed to satisfy Ayame, "You do know blackmail is illegal, right?"

"Is it as legal as the place you got your scarf?"

"Hmm. Fair enough."

Naruto loved frequenting Ichiraku ramen. The father-and-daughter duo were phenomenal cooks and great company. That was pretty hard to come by normally.

Ayame finally finished up and she put down a bowl in front of Naruto, "It's a good thing you jumped to fifty. I was going to spit in this if you didn't."

Naruto laughed, but he slowly grew quiet as Ayame's face stayed neutral. She _was_ kidding, right?

Right?

The cloth to the stand was pushed aside as a customer stepped in and Naruto was forced to save his question for later. Ayame's humour was sometimes a bit too sharp for Naruto's liking.

Naruto was engrossed in his meal and he barely heard the other customer order. It was only as he was halfway done that he realised someone was looking at him. He turned to his left and sure enough, he was staring into a pair of practically white eyes.

Wait a minute.

"Are you Ryoku's sister or something?" Naruto said as he stared at the girl, "He had his beating coming. I'll tell you that right now."

"What?" The girl shook her head before putting her hand out, "My name's Hinata Hyuuga. I saw your...altercation with my cousin. That's actually why I'm here."

This was what Naruto got for fighting in public like that. It was just as well Hinata was the one who caught him. She was a lot more soft-spoken than Ryoku, but that was a good thing. That name sounded familiar, though.

"You're in my class at the Academy," Naruto said drawing a nod from Hinata, "Sorry, I don't really pay too much attention to who's in our class."

"Or the people that make you food," Ayame quipped from the back drawing a sigh from Naruto.

"Ignore her."

"You know fifty percent is starting to sound kinda low–"

"Seventy percent. Final offer."

"My lips are sealed."

Naruto would be sure to get Ayame back. An exploding paintball in her bag would probably be good enough. He'd make it orange too.

"I want you to teach me how to fight?" Hinata said shocking Naruto as he turned back to the girl.

"What?"

"I saw your fight with Ryoku," Hinata said her voice holding a touch of what Naruto would humbly describe as hero worship, "You're very good. I need to get stronger."

"No."

"Pardon?"

"I don't do things for free," Naruto said, "It would be bad for business. I want to help you. Really, I do, but my hands are tied."

"I see," Hinata said before she left a wad of cash on the table, "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

Hinata was gone and Naruto turned back to his bowl, but before he could take a bite he felt eyes on him. Naruto looked up and saw Ayame and her face only held disappointment.

"Oh come on, Ayame," Naruto said as he fiddled with his food, "I walk alone. It's nothing personal."

Ayame only tilted her head to the side. They faced off for a few seconds before Naruto sighed. He rose from his seat and slowly counted out his bill including the tip.

"You're lucky I like eating here."

* * *

It took a fair bit of time for Naruto to find Hinata. She had made her way to one of the in-village training grounds and was going through a few kata. Her jacket was slung over one of the posts and Naruto watched her until he leapt down from the tree he was on.

Naruto bit back a sigh as he saw Hinata look at him with a measure of reproach. He dropped his tonfa behind him before raising his hands to show he came in peace before he spoke.

"Fight me."

Hinata's face scrunched up in confusion as she stared him, "Come again?"

"Look," Naruto said as he did a few stretches, "I need to know if you're worth training. I don't want to waste my time."

Hinata nodded before she dropped into her stance. She was about to strike but stopped when Naruto held up a hand.

"Use your Byakugan," Naruto said as he stood in his stance, "This is your only shot to impress me. Go all out. I can take it."

Hinata nodded before going through a chain of handseals. Her eyes faded to a gleaming white and the veins around her eyes grew large and defined.

"That's more like it," Naruto said before gesturing with his hand, "Let's go. Show me what you've got."

Hinata rushed forward and began lashing out with a variety of palm strikes and what Naruto could only describe as pokes. She wasn't fast enough to get a hit, though, and Naruto deliberately left his left side open to give her a chance.

Instead, she ignored the opening and went for his right. Naruto caught her by the wrist with both hands before lifting her and slamming her into the ground.

"Hinoiri (Sunset)," Naruto said as he watched Hinata struggle to her feet, "Is that all you've got? Pathetic."

That seemed to strike a nerve as Hinata froze before she leapt off the ground. Naruto was actually pressed just a little bit to avoid Hinata's attacks as she lashed out with surprising ferocity. He realised that taunts were the way to go and so he decided to go for broke.

"I do remember you now," Naruto said as he continued to avoid her strikes, "You're one of the twins. What was your sister's name? Hanabi?"

That seemed to have the effect Naruto was looking for as Hinata attacked him with more vigour. Naruto was still able to stay ahead of Hinata's onslaught as he dodged and slapped away palm strikes.

"She's pretty good," Naruto said as he parried a palm strike from Hinata before kicking her in the side, "What happened to you?"

That seemed to break something within Hinata as she drew back her right hand as a shell of chakra formed in the palm of her hand. Naruto crossed his arms before Hinata pushed her hand forward.

"Hakke Kusho (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm)!"

Naruto used chakra to keep him on the ground as he was pushed away by the shell of energy. He used just enough chakra to provide friction and soon the jutsu faded away.

Hinata had an angry look on her face her palm still facing towards Naruto. She was about thirty feet away from Naruto, but he could still see the tears running down her face.

"Good one," Naruto said before going through seven handseals, "Not good enough though."

Naruto raised his hands and made a triangle shape using his thumb and index fingers. All of his fingers were extended as he channelled a decent amount of chakra into the jutsu.

Naruto closed one of his eyes as he looked at Hinata through the triangle before he called out the name of his jutsu.

"Futon: Sankousen (Wind Release: Tribeam)!"

A tunnel of air was shot towards Hinata and it swept her up before sending her into the shrubbery around the training ground. She was sent tumbling into the woods and Naruto was glad he had aimed away from any trees.

Naruto walked after Hinata and he found her laying on her back with some bruises and cuts on her arms. They were probably from plant life and rocks around them. Naruto held out his hand and after a few seconds, Hinata used it to pull herself up.

"Good fight," Naruto said, but Hinata ignored him as she limped off towards the training posts.

Naruto expected Hinata to take her jacket and leave, but he was surprised when she began to go through her kata again. It was clear that she was still drained from their spar, but even then she seemed to be giving her maximum effort.

Hinata didn't even look at Naruto as he approached simply deciding to ignore his presence. Naruto watched her go through the motions for a bit before he spoke.

"Your stance is way too rigid," Naruto said causing Hinata to pause before she relaxed her stance a bit more. It seemed to make a bit of a difference as Hinata appeared more comfortable as she continued to practice.

"Put your leading foot a bit more forward."

Hinata didn't even ponder it as she obeyed Naruto's directive.

"Try pushing off of the balls of your feet when you move around."

And so it went on. Naruto suggested a slight tweak now and then trying to find something that suited Hinata. This went for hours before Hinata went through one last kata.

It was a fair bit different from the first one Naruto had seen her perform. It involved moving side-to-side quite a bit more than simply advancing. It was the most comfortable Hinata had been all day and when she finished she turned to Naruto as if expecting another tweak.

"I think that's it," Naruto said as he looked at Hinata, "Do all Hyuuga only use the Jūken?"

"Yes," Hinata said her voice a free notches above a whisper, "It's the best Taijutsu style in the nations. It can disable with a single touch and it–"

"Is not the style for you," Naruto said cutting Hinata off, "It's pretty easy to see really. In class, you looked a bit uncomfortable using it especially compared to your sister."

"So you think I'm weak then," It wasn't a question so much as it was a statement, but Naruto shook his head.

"I think you just need to tweak the Jūken to suit you," Naruto said, "Play to your strengths and add a bit of flavour to it. That's a bit of the problem with clan shinobi. You sorta get forced to adapt to the style, but sometimes it doesn't work out. I'm sure your dad has noticed this before and will help you out if you ask him."

"My dad stripped me of my title as heiress today," Hinata said her tone rather blue and Naruto resisted the urge to slam his face into the ground, "Hanabi is a prodigy of the Jūken just like my cousin. It's almost as if the style was built for them. I haven't beaten my sister in a spar in years. There were always whispers about her being the heir instead, but–"

"You didn't quite expect it to happen," Naruto said causing Hinata to nod.

They remained in silence for a fair few seconds as Naruto thought of a course of action. Naruto knew he was going to be a shinobi no matter what. He hadn't told anyone of what Shisui had told him, but it was always at the back of his head.

Naruto was sure the old man would find a way to make him pass no matter what. That didn't mean Naruto had simply been coasting by. His file had been pretty good– the only disappointment was genjutsu which was a flat 6.

His other marks were all great though. Fuinjutsu was a 10, but considering only he and like two other students took it that did not say all that much. They did suck at it though so there was that.

Bukijutsu was a 9 as Ryoku had learned and finally, Advanced Chakra and Jutsu theory was a 10. That class had helped Naruto worked out the many, many kinks in his jutsu like the Sankousen.

The rest of his classes like ninjutsu and taijutsu and the other stuff all ranged from 7 to 10. The point being Naruto did not need to overwork himself to graduate and get placed with a decent sensei so he actually could afford to help Hinata.

That was excluding the fact that Ayame would probably guilt trip into helping anyways.

"I'll help you get stronger," Naruto said causing Hinata to look back at him in surprise, "Your biggest is weakness is that you lack...fire."

Naruto expected Hinata to say or do something, but she only nodded to show she understood. Maybe she already knew this on some level?

"You need to be a lot more deliberate when you fight and when you train too," Naruto said, "I kept taunting you to try and get you angrier and you got better the angrier you were. You just need to find something to fight for."

"I want to bridge the gap in my clan," Hinata said her voice firmer than it had been all day, "There's a lot of bad blood in my clan."

Naruto chose not to press Hinata too much on that issue for now. It was clear she felt strongly about the rift in her clan and that would be the best way to motivate her to succeed.

"You need to get strong enough to take your spot as heiress back," Naruto said rising to his feet, "You can start training with me and we'll figure out all the kinks in your style. Tell you what. Meet me at the hardware store south of the abandoned Warehouse District. There's no better place to find a style that suits you, trust me."

Hinata was confused, but she nodded to show her understanding. The air was beginning to grow chilly and Hinata realised this as well as she put her jacket back on. Naruto collected his stuff and they walked back to the village in an awkward silence.

Konoha was still very active since it was the evening and they were right by Ichiraku ramen when it came time for them to go their separate ways, Hinata turned to Naruto who raised a brow in interest.

"Thank you for helping me," Hinata said which Naruto waved off, but Hinata continued anyway, "I'll find a way to pay you back."

"Don't worry about it just yet," Naruto said, "We can figure out once everything's all said and done."

Hinata seemed to accept this and she bowed which Naruto awkwardly returned before she continued down the street. Naruto felt tempted to go to Ichiraku, but he wasn't down for getting swindled by Ayame again.

This whole Hinata thing would at least keep him busy since beating down the gangs in the warehouse district tended to get old fast. Maybe Hinata could help with him with chakra control or something.

"Eh, I'll figure it out."

Naruto didn't have to cash that check immediately after all. He had at least three months. And people said he sucked at long-term planning.

Naruto was about to walk away, but the smell of ramen was in the air. He stayed frozen outside the stand before deciding to head back to his apartment instead.

He'd find a way to get that money back from Ayame.

Maybe a card game or something?

* * *

Naruto got to his front door and after opening the door, he darted in before closing it behind. He locked the door, pull down the latch and then slid the dangly thingy into that bar on the door.

What _was_ that thing called anyway?

Finally, Naruto went to his table where he picked up a square of sealing paper. This was a barrier seal that could resist a fair amount of damage. It could resist about three Sankousen which if Naruto's math was right equalled a shit ton of punches and kicks.

A jounin could definitely bust it down in short order, but that was why it had a secondary alarm feature. If the barrier portion of the seal was broken it would release a flash of light not unlike the Rinkai Hoshi as well as a loud siren.

Converting chakra into sound and light energy wasn't exactly taught in class, but it did impress Naruto's fuinjutsu teacher. Fuinjutsu class He did get a warning from the Aburame kunoichi to not take things further, but who was she kidding?

Naruto lived for taking things further.

He stuck the seal to the wall before channelling enough chakra in it for it to last into the morning. It probably would not be the best of ideas if Naruto made permanent seals around his apartment just yet. He still paid rent after all. The tags would have to do for now.

He figured out a way to summon his tonfa to him. It was a bastardised summoning contract, but it had been relatively easy to make since it was tied to a non-living being. There were seals on his tonfa and on a scroll he had bought that linked them to his blood and chakra.

His tonfa were upgraded from the mere sticks they were before. It had taken a lot of trips to the library, but he had figured out a lot about adding mechanics to them. He had various seals that acted as triggers for all the stuff it could do.

The next seal Naruto wanted to add on them would allow him to get his tonfa if he ever got separated from them without having to constantly bite his thumb. All he'd have to was hold his hands out and they'd come flying.

Naruto plopped down on the couch, "I'd first have to make two seals one for the tonfa and the other for me. The seal on the tonfa would have to direct them to me while also avoiding all obstacles. So it would probably need a detection seal to sense what was in front of it?"

Naruto continued to brainstorm a way of making the seal work. Would the tonfas travel in straight lines only or would they have free range of motion? How far away would the seals work from and how far could he extend it? Could he use his chains with it somehow?

By the time, Naruto was done making a few notes and adjustments a good two hours had passed. Okay, that was enough. Naruto closed the book and he looked at the cover. It was simply Uzumaki written in fancy lettering(thank you Fuinjutsu) with a red swirl above it.

The book had notes on various ideas and jutsu(incomplete and complete) that Naruto worked on. It was probably tempting fate to put all of this in a book, but at the very least the proximity seal on it would destroy the book if it got too far from his apartment.

Naruto had learnt about that seal the hard way after trying to nick a scroll from the academy library. Luckily, it had only been one of many copies and it had gone largely unnoticed.

Naruto put the book down as he decided to make some food to eat. He was in the final stretch of his pre-shinobi days and he had to finish as many concepts as he could before becoming a genin.

Genin were the workhorse of all shinobi villages and some unlucky graduates were assigned to far-off towns and borders. Naruto did not want to have to pack up for some backwater border post by Tea Country. That was for losers.

Naruto was not a loser. He had only ever lost clean twice. Getting snuck up on by over ten kids while napping in a training ground did not count the four times it had happened.

No, in his view he had only ever lost to that guy who had abducted him and then again to Shisui Uchiha. Word on the street was that Shisui had killed his parents (which Naruto knew to be true) and had put his sister in a week-long coma.

In a weird way, Naruto felt like he owed Shisui for telling him about the Kyuubi. Naruto now knew why people were so scared of him, but he kept that to himself for now. The fact that the old man had lied stung more than a little bit and Naruto wasn't about to tell the old man that he knew.

Naruto just told the man he didn't remember much after encountering Shisui. That got the Hokage off Naruto's back and Naruto was glad for the space. Between the Kyuubi and his chakra chains (which _had_ to be a bloodline), Naruto had needed to work through a lot.

He'd wait to see how long the Hokage would pull the wool over his eyes. Naruto wasn't about to go all crazy and swear vengeance against Konoha, but this was a nice way to get petty revenge.

Kinda like untying someone's laces or slipping a snake into their bag while they were sleeping in class. Harmless stuff like that was what Naruto thrived on. Kiba was probably still sour about that one.

Naruto didn't stay happy for too long as he remembered his train of thought. He owed Shisui and Naruto always paid his debts. Apparently, he was an S-rank missing-nin which was fine by Naruto.

It would only make kicking his ass feel a thousand times better when he was done.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata were standing outside one of the buildings occupied by one of the smaller gangs. Naruto didn't even know their name, but what he did know was that they were getting too big for their boots.

Apparently, they were going to try and rob Naruto's apartment for his money and one of them blabbed about to it one of the Dragons the day before. Idiots.

They were right up Hinata's alley too. None of them were terribly strong, but they sure acted like they were. Naruto hoped one of them would piss Hinata off enough for her to go all out.

"Okay," Naruto said to Hinata who looked a bit nervous, "You need to remember that this is about liberating your clan. These are the first of many more obstacles in your way. You need to beat them down and break them."

"That sounds...cruel."

"Oh, trust me they deserve it," Naruto said with a bit of frown, "They're pickpockets and like to push around the younger guys around here. Besides, we're going to be shinobi in a few months. You can't get much lower than a shinobi. Haven't you paid attention in history? They really _suck_."

Hinata said nothing so Naruto took that as her agreeing with what he said. Naruto had also pickpocketed a few times (more than a fee really) but that wasn't the point. Hinata needed a bit of a nudge to actually fight properly.

"Plus, I'm pretty sure they were the ones who had rigged stinkbombs in all the bathrooms of the Academy," Naruto said which caused Hinata to straighten up, "Word on the street is they've been bragging about it."

"So it was them?"

Naruto almost felt bad for framing these guys, but it wasn't anything personal. He'd let them keep their hangout once he and Hinata cleaned house.

"Okay, so here's the plan," Naruto said as he turned to Hinata, "Kick their asses. Understand? Let's fucking do this!"

Naruto ignored Hinata's wince before he kicked the door open. It fell forward and the three boys inside turned in unison to the doors. They were all about 15 years old genin which only made things easier. They could probably take what they would dish out.

"Futon: Sankousen (Wind Release: Tribeam)!"

A tunnel of wind washed over the biggest of the three and he was sent flying into the wall before he pitched forward. The other two didn't even look back at their comrade as they both picked up a kunai.

"That should be enough motivation for you. These guys don't mess around so you need to be decisive," Naruto said as he took in the sight of the sharp edges, "You take Ugly and I'll take Stupid."

"Are you gonna let him call you ugly," said Ugly to Stupid.

"He called you stupid, Stupid," was Stupid's response to ugly, "If anyone's ugly here it's that girl. I'll take the bitch–"

A sphere of air slammed into Stupid and soon after another slammed into Ugly. They slammed into the wall in a manner identical to their comrade and Naruto blinked before turning to Hinata.

"You know what?" Naruto said as he looked at Hinata who seemed shocked by what she had done, "I think you and me will get along _just_ fine."

* * *

3 months later

* * *

"Okay, Naruto," Iruka said as he held a clipboard in front of him, "Ninjutsu is the last part of the exam you need to take. In order to get 100%, you need to successfully perform the second stage of your nature chakra, perform the academy Three and finally perform five ninjutsu. Any questions?"

Naruto breathed in deeply. The past week had been pure chaos. Naruto had aced most of his tests and he had scraped by in the genjutsu section nothing to write home about really.

"I'm ready, sensei," Naruto said to which Iruka smiled before handing Naruto a bumpy rock.

"Good luck," Iruka said as he picked up a timer, "The goal is to make that rock as smooth as possible. You get points for smoothness and quickness. 3, 2, 1, go!"

Naruto wrapped both of his hands around the rock before molding his wind chakra. There was a soft grinding noise as he guided his wind chakra along the surface of the rock. Finally, ten seconds later Naruto was done. Iruka stopped the clock as he took the rock from Naruto's hands.

There were many steps on the road to mastering wind chakra with the final step being splitting a waterfall. That sounded impossible, but Naruto would have to wait and see.

This step was simple enough, though, Naruto had gotten this down long ago and it would supposedly allow him to use most B-rank jutsu. In fact, Naruto had only gotten the Sankousen down perfectly after getting this stage down.

"Okay, now for the Academy Three," Iruka said causing Naruto to nod, "First of all the Bunshin."

Okay, so that was a bust. Naruto went through the handseals, but even then he knew it was pointless. A few dead clones later and Naruto was asked to transform into the Hokage

"Perfect," Iruka said causing Naruto to dispel his transformation, "Now substitute with anything in the field. We have logs and other objects prepared as you can see."

There were an array of objects that Naruto could use to substitute himself with. He assumed they were meant to serve as targets for the next phase of the exam. Naruto substituted with a log before switching back.

"Okay, you're still passing this despite that terrible Bunshin," Iruka causing Naruto to groan, "Five jutsu will give you a perfect score on this section. I'm ready when you are."

Naruto decided to start things out pretty tame. He took out a kunai from his pouch before going through a chain of handseals and then clapping his hands together.

"Fūton: Reppusho (Wind Release: Gale Palm)."

Naruto thrust his hand out and there was a gust of wind that sped up the kunai until it was nothing more than a blur. It pegged into the ground leaving only the ring at the base of the handle sticking out. Maybe adding wind chakra was unnecessary back there.

Naruto wrote that one off as a lost cause.

"Textbook Reppusho. Well done. What's next?"

Naruto went through a set of handseals before performing his next jutsu, "Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!"

A blast of wind formed in front of Naruto and a large amount of dust and debris was kicked up into the air. The Daitoppa was one of the first stepping stones for wind users. It was what Naruto based the Sankousen off as they both just delivered blunt force.

The Sankousen was a lot more precise, though, and it took less chakra for essentially the same thing. The Daitoppa was spread out in something of a cone in front of the user and that made it pretty unsafe to use indoors or around teammates.

Naruto decided he'd go for a more subtle jutsu. Variety was the spice of life or something like that. Naruto went through three handseals before his hands were covered in a blue chakra aura.

"Ninpou: Garou no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Hungry Wolf Technique)."

"The Garou?" Iruka said while making a note on his clipboard, "Interesting. I didn't expect you to use a chakra absorption technique with your reserves. You are aware of the drawbacks?"

"Yes, sensei," Naruto said drily as Iruka extended his hand, "It only causes tenketsu scarring in amateurs. I'm way above that."

Naruto only knew that because of Hinata's Byakugan. He had been trying to merge the Garou with his Uzuken, but he had made virtually no progress. Hinata had been bewildered by his reserves, but Naruto had just told her it was good genes.

Thankfully, his seal only appeared when he used a shit ton of chakra or things would have been awkward. Hinata was a decent sparring partner and a good friend, but Naruto wasn't about to spill his guts about the Kyuubi to her just yet.

It was probably something better left unsaid for the time being.

Naruto shook Iruka's hand and a surge of chakra was pulled into his tenketsu. It felt ticklish, but Naruto had long since gotten used to the feeling by now. He pulled away from Iruka who nodded to show Naruto passed and Naruto prepared to perform his last two jutsu.

In the end, Naruto used the Sankousen and Rinkai Hoshi. Iruka thankfully accepted the new jutsu which he took copious notes of before he gave Naruto a new headband with a blue cloth.

"Congratulations, Naruto," Iruka said as he tied the headband on, "It seems your Advanced Chakra and Jutsu class paid dividends. You could probably make a fair bit of money selling these jutsu to the village, you know?"

"Thanks, sensei, but I think I'll keep them to myself," Naruto said, "Do you know how long I slaved away to come up with some of them?"

"Some?" Iruka said his tone intrigued, "You've become quite the jutsu crafter. You can keep them to yourself, but you should know that I'm extremely proud of you, Naruto. I had great fun teaching your half of the Elite class and I know you'll go right to the top of Konoha."

Naruto pulled Iruka into a tight hug that caused the chuunin to groan in embarrassment, "Come on, Naruto. There are still a few students to go, you know?"

"I know," Naruto said as he held on tightly, "When will we get down to team placements?"

"Lists are going to be posted all over the Academy along with where to meet your sensei tomorrow," Iruka said as he finally wrenched free from Naruto's grasp, "Run along now. Tell Ayame I say hello."

"Sure thing, sensei," Naruto said as he turned to leave, "Thanks for everything, sensei! I promise I'll remember you when I'm rich and famous!"

Naruto felt like he was walking on air. He was now a genin. A shinobi. He had done well on his test and maybe he'd make chuunin and then jounin after that. Naruto wasn't sure about what to do after that though.

He'd figure it out. He still had years before he had to think of anything like that.

Naruto decided to head to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate. Ayame and her dad would be over the moon to see him graduate. He would probably splurge on a few of the deluxe options.

Hopefully, Ayame was the one cooking today. Naruto didn't forget what she had done three months ago. Now that he was officially a genin he was so going to get back at her.

No one blackmailed Naruto and got away it.

* * *

The next day ~ Konoha Academy

* * *

"Well, shit."

That was all Naruto could say as he took in the crowd around the Academy notice board. The team listings were up, but either his clock was late or people had camped out all night because there was no way he was getting through.

"You know I _could_ use my Sankousen to–"

"No, you can't," Hinata said as she walked up to him, "That would be attacking a Konoha shinobi which could lead to you being stripped of your shinobi status."

Way to put a downer on things.

"So," Naruto said as he looked at the headband around Hinata's neck, "Interesting choice to put a headband."

"Hanabi said the same thing," Hinata said as they walked towards the boards, "It's a lot more comfortable than you think."

Naruto was surprised that Hinata brought up Hanabi, but he assumed that her father and sister had congratulated her on her graduation. Or at least he hoped so. It was home situations like Hinata that made being an orphan less sucky.

Hearing that people who were born into rich clans still suffered really put things into perspective for Naruto. Life didn't suck just because he was an orphan. Life just sucked sometimes and that went for everyone which sorta made it okay.

"There's Kiba," Naruto said spotting the boy with a dog on his head, "He'll let us through. Hey, dogbreath! Make space!"

Naruto shoved past people while Hinata followed behind muttering apologies to the people that got pushed aside. Finally, they reached Kiba who looked just as excited as Naruto felt.

"Figure out who's unlucky enough to be on your team yet?" Naruto said to Kiba who snorted.

"These are sorted in random order instead of teams. Who the fuck does that?" Kiba said while still going through the list, "I was only able to find out that Shino was on my team with someone called Kurenai Yuhi. You know her?"

Naruto shook his head, but Hinata was the one that answered, "I do. She's a new jounin. She used to escort me around the village when I was a child. She's very sweet."

Hinata and Kiba had a good rapport and were really the only two students from the Academy that Naruto spoke to. It wouldn't be a stretch to call the two of them friends at this point.

It was then that Hinata decided to crush Naruto's hopes of being on a team with people he knew.

"I'm also under Kurenai," Hinata said her tone sounding happy and conflicted all at once, "We have to meet her at classroom 2A in...five minutes. Have you seen Shino?"

"You guys should get going," Naruto said doing his best to hide his disappointment from his voice, "You don't want to be late to your first team meeting. I'm sure Shino will be there."

Naruto wasn't entirely successful and he received a rueful smile from the two before they fought their way out the crowd. Naruto turned back to the board and looked for his name.

Nothing.

He went from the bottom up.

Nothing.

He checked the other lists.

Nothing.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Naruto said as he walked away from the notice boards and towards the nearby staff room, "How the fuck did they forget to print my name? When I–"

"Naruto?" said Iruka's voice from behind him, "What are you doing here? Did you not get the letter?"

The letter? What letter?

Naruto's expression must have been telling because Iruka sighed deeply, "Mizuki was supposed to deliver a letter to you. It had your team and sensei in it. You know what? Wait here."

Iruka went into the staff room and Naruto waited for a few minutes before he came back out.

"This was under a lot of files in Mizuki's pigeonhole. Anyways, here you go," Iruka said as he handed the letter off to Naruto.

Naruto was deeply thankful for Iruka's intervention and he cracked open the letter. It only had his name on it and the time and place he was supposed to meet his sensei whose name wasn't even listed.

"This is all the way on the opposite side of the village," Naruto said as he crumpled the paper up, "I _knew_ I should have learned the Shunshin (Body Flicker)."

He now had about six minutes to run across the village. Great. Just great.

* * *

Naruto slowed to a stop as he took in heavy breaths. He had just made it on time. Naruto saw two other girls who were standing around and he assumed that they were his teammates judging from their headbands.

They must have been in the other half of Elite classes because Naruto did not know their names. Hopefully, they didn't know his–

"Uzumaki!" shouted the girl with purple hair that went up to her shoulders, "You're the third member of our team. Get over here!"

Naruto grumbled under his breath as he approached the girl. She was wearing a dark blue vest and knee-length shorts. Her eyes were pitch black, but most surprising of all her face was vaguely familiar.

"How do you know my name?" Naruto said causing the girl to roll her eyes.

"We've been going to the academy for years now," the girl said before her eyes narrowed, "Do you even know my name?"

Naruto chose not to answer as he turned to his other and hopefully nicer teammate, "Hi, my name's Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you."

The other girl was wearing...white. A lot of white. A white skirt. A white top. White arm warmers. The only thing that broke the colour was the mesh armour she wore underneath her clothes.

"Nice to meet you!" Naruto was taken aback by the girl's exuberance, "My name's Fū and that's Naori. She is just annoyed you don't know our names, but that's fine."

Fū held her hand out and Naruto shook it reluctantly, but he felt something like a spark as soon as he touched Fū's hand. Not in a lovey-dovey way either, but it was like he had seen beneath her exterior which made no sense.

Fū either didn't seem to notice or she ignored it as she said, "Who do you think our sensei will be? I heard great stuff about Itachi Uchiha. Do you think we have him?"

"That super prodigy Uchiha?" Naruto said as he recalled the man that saved him from Shisui, "Isn't he an Anbu?"

"How do you know that? Anbu identities are meant to be secret."

Were they secret? Shit.

Naruto chose to ignore Naori as he said, "I want Kakashi Hatake. Apparently, he knows like a thousand jutsu because of his Sharingan eye. I've heard of no other Uchiha that knows as many jutsu as him so he's better by all of them bu default."

"You take that back!" Naori said as she stepped between Naruto and Fū, "We would be blessed if we had _any_ Uchiha let alone Itachi-nii. You should respect the strongest clan in the village more."

Itachi-nii? Oh, Naori was an Uchiha. No wonder she sucked.

"I thought Itachi had a brother called Sasuke," Naruto said, "You look nothing like him."

Now, that he was on the topic, Naori really did look familiar to him. He could have sworn–

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu)!"

A large puff of smoke covered the street and the three of them turned to the threat immediately. Naruto had to push Naori aside as her elbow was digging into his side. Naori jammed her elbow back into his side even as the smoke washed over them.

Naruto was about to prepare a wind jutsu when he heard a deep voice from within the smoke.

"Enemies cower at his name! Men want to be him, women want to be with him! He's a master of the sage arts and the best author this world has ever known! The great, the gallant, the marvellous...Jiraiya!"

The smoke cleared to reveal a man with long white hair in the most ridiculous clothing Naruto had seen all day. He was posing while looking up into the sky and despite Naruto's best efforts, he could only come up with three words.

"What the fuck?"

* * *

**Original Jutsu List:**

**Hekikawa (Split River)**

**A split-leg dropkick that Naruto used during a fight with the Red Dragons. Requires a fairly strong core to pull off. D-rank.**

**Hinoiri (Sunset)**

**Naruto grabs onto his opponent's arm before slamming them into the ground. The motion of the slam resembles the path the sun takes during the day or a semi-circle. D-rank.**

**Futon: Sankousen (Wind Release: Tribeam)**

**Named for the shape of Naruto's hands when performing the jutsu. A precise tunnel of wind is fired from the 'cage' formed by the user's hand. The power of the tunnel can be changed to change the amount of blunt force delivered. B-rank.**

**Ninpou: Garou no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Hungry Wolf Technique)**

**A chakra absorption jutsu that only works via contact. Excessive use causes scarring of the chakra circulatory system, but due to the Kyuubi Naruto is immune to this. B-rank.**

* * *

**Thanks for all the reviews, faves and follows you guys really made me happy.**

**This chapter was a bit long because I wanted to move past the Academy. We've spent enough time as it is in there I think. Naruto meets his new team and finally, we can get the ball rolling**

**I love hearing from you guys so tell me what you thought of this chapter. There were quite a few changes from canon, but that's what fanfiction is all about really. **

**Stay safe during these times. There's still a long way to go yet and we shouldn't give up.**


	5. Discord

**I made a subreddit where you guys can post questions, thoughts or whatever it is about this or any of my other stories.**

**It's r/whiteleopard1124 on Reddit so if any of you are Redditors you can talk to me on there for a faster response.**

**Here's chapter 5. Enjoy.**

* * *

"What the fuck?"

Naruto felt like his jaw was going to fall right off his face. Jiraiya, S-rank Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin Jiraiya, sensei of the Yondaime Hokage Jiraiya was striking a pose in the middle of an empty street.

"Is that good or bad?" Jiraiya said while still holding his pose, "That sounded good. I'd prefer if you swore fealty to me, but that was good."

There's no way this guy was Jiraiya. It was probably some goof under a transformation. Naruto was already annoyed by running across the village, his little spat with Naori and now this jerk was trying to waste his time? No ways.

Three handseals later and Naruto was about to fire a Sankousen, but just as he was ready to fire a shadow loomed over him. His hands were raised into the sky and the Sankousen fired off into the sky.

"That's not very nice of you," Jiraiya said looking down at Naruto while still holding his hands up, "Is that really how you want to treat your sensei?"

Naruto had barely even seen him move. That was the size gulf of the between them. Maybe this actually was Jiraiya. The behemoth of a man let go of Naruto's hands and he resisted the urge to rub at them. There had been enough humiliation for one day.

"You're really our sensei?" Naori said drawing a nod from the man, "Itachi told me he had an announcement I'd be interested in. Is this it?"

"You know, none of you guys seem particularly excited that you're getting a legend such as myself to be your sensei," Jiraiya said causing Naruto to speak up.

"You're...different from what I expected," Naruto said drawing nods from Fū and Naori, "Aren't you supposed to be like some super serious, grizzled veteran? Instead, you're just a–"

"Charmingly handsome devil?"

"Goofball," Naruto finished as he ignored Jiraiya's interruption, "The second strongest shinobi from Konoha is a goofball. What's next? The Hokage is a pervert or even better, Tsunade is some washed-up old hag."

"Actually–" Jiraiya said before shaking his head, "I'll save those for a rainy day. Look, it's actually me. You just hit the jackpot, congratulations. Now, we need to get down to your test."

"Test? What test?" Naori said causing Jiraiya to smile.

Naruto wasn't entirely sure why the smile sent shivers down his spine.

"Questions will have to wait," Jiraiya said as he walked back to the frog(toad?) that Naruto had forgotten was there, "Gama and I will be going to Training Ground 11. If you're late then you fail your test."

Jiraiya hopped onto Gama who crouched down before jumping high into the sky. Naruto idly wondered if that was the best mode of transportation in a village with quite a few civilians in it.

Eh, not really his problem.

"Where's Training Ground 11?" Fū asked and Naruto sighed as he heard Naori's answer.

"It's on the other side of the village," Naori said, "I think it's about a minute away from the Academy."

Great. That was just great. Why did they even meet over here? The only interesting thing around here was the hot springs. Was Jiraiya taking a soak before he came out? Maybe the steam went to his head.

"Let's go," Naruto said, "This guy–"

Naruto's words died on his lips as Naori put her arm around Fū before they disappeared in a Shunshin. Naruto resisted the urge to scream as he jumped up to the rooftops and headed back the way he had just come from.

"Stupid Shunshin."

* * *

Training Ground 11 was a very...average training ground. It did not have any special features like some of the others nor was it especially big. It was about as average as far as Training Grounds went. It had a lot of trees, a nearby stream and some posts right at the centre of it all.

Naruto walked into the clearing in the training ground. His teammates were already there standing next to Jiraiya who was...scribbling in a notepad? Naruto cleared his throat as he got near drawing the attention of Jiraiya.

"It's about time you got here," The man said as he put his notepad away, "Did you get lost or something?"

"Something like that," Naruto said as he looked at Naori who looked just a touch smug.

Oh, he was definitely getting payback someday. A few hundred stinkbombs would do the trick. Or maybe–

"Ok, so you have a test and if you fail you get sent back to the Academy. Hold it!" Jiraiya said unknowingly cutting Naruto's thought process off, "Let's do some introductions. Likes, dislikes and dreams. You know the deal. Let's start with slowpoke over there."

Naruto was so going to get back at Naori for this.

"Okay, my name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, training, the Ichiraku family and my training partner I guess. I dislike vegetables, meetings that jump from one place to another, people who know the Shunshin and finally people who gang up on me while I'm sleeping because it's the only way they can beat me in a fight...and I don't have a dream."

Okay, so Naruto lied about his dream. He wanted a family. But that way off into the future. And personal. Before the Shisui thing, Naruto was sure he wanted to be Hokage, but the ease with which the old man had lied to Naruto's face about the Kyuubi really took the shine off the job.

It had really stung.

"Okay," Jiraiya said as he nodded at Naruto, "You're really boring. Who's next?"

Fū raised her hand and her introduction was short and sweet. Her name was Fū. Just Fū. She liked fruits and honey. She disliked control freaks and her dream was to become a jounin-sensei.

Fū came off as being rather sweet, but Naruto felt like there was more to it than that. Fū's whole demeanour just seemed a little forced. Naruto felt like a dick(which didn't happen too often), but it felt like she was trying too hard to be liked.

She didn't even mention her dislikes which was straight bullshit. Everyone hated something. Hinata hated a surprising amount of people in the warehouse district. Iruka-sensei _hated_ getting interrupted in class.

That's just how things were.

"Come on, guys. Keep the ball rolling," Jiraiya said as he picked at his fingernails.

"My name is Naori Uchiha."

There was a very long pause that turned awkward as they all realised Naori was done with her introduction.

"_Okay_, so my name's Jiraiya, but you already knew that from my amazing introduction. I love women, booze and women. I dislike people who cannot appreciate art and my dream for the future...I'll tell you when you're older. Did I tell you I liked women?"

Okay, so Jiraiya was a perv. He did say something along those lines in his introduction dance thing, but to be honest, Naruto had already forgotten about it. That wasn't ideal, but things could have been way worse. They could have gotten an absolute scrub as their sensei.

"Okay kids your test is simple," Jiraiya said before going through a few handseals.

The earth beneath them rose in a perfect rectangular. It was about ten by ten metres and was about two metres tall. Jiraiya motioned for them to get off the platform.

He reached into his pocket and took out a single bell that he tied to his waist before he spoke, "This test is simple. You can either knock me off the platform or you can get a bell to pass. That means only two of you will be allowed to train under me. If one or two or all three of you fail to do either of them you get put on the reserves list."

Jiraiya's last sentence was enough to fire Naruto up. He knew enough people on the reserves list to know it was like some sort of limbo. You'd very rarely get picked for C-ranks and jounin never picked genin from there for their teams.

There was no way he was getting put on the reserves.

"You guys have thirty minutes," Jiraiya said which only piled on the pressure, "I won't leave this platform until I get knocked so don't worry about that."

Naruto began to mold his chakra as Jiraiya took out a timer that he had set to ring in half an hour. Naruto watched as the man threw the timer over his shoulder before it landed perfectly on top of the middle training post. What a show-off.

"Begin!"

Naruto saw Fū dart into the woods, but he ignored as he went through familiar handseals, "Fūton: Sankousen (Wind Release: Tribeam)!"

The tunnel of wind was fired from Naruto's hand and he kept molding chakra making it more of a continuous stream of wind chakra. It was headed right for Jiraiya, but a large fireball washed over the tunnel and quickly grew in size and intensity as it raced towards Jiraiya.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu)!"

Naruto turned to his side to see that Naori had been the one to fire the jutsu. Of course, it was. The flames washed over Jiraiya and Naruto wondered if Naori had just snatched the win right out from under him.

That all changed as the flames seemed to be sucked into a singular point. A few seconds later, Jiraiya stood unharmed holding a seal tag in his hand.

"Fuka Houin (Fire Sealing Method)," Jiraiya put the seal tag as he crossed his arms, "That would have been Naori's win by the way."

"Stay out of my way," Naruto said to Naori before rushing the platform. He heard footsteps behind him that indicated that Naori was following him to the platform. Great, that was just great.

Naruto decided to go for a bell. Jiraiya's movement was limited while on the platform so it made the most sense. Plus, if things went badly he could try to sneak a Sankousen to fire Jiraiya off the platform.

Naruto arrived ahead of Naori and he rushed Jiraiya who had taken a loose stance. Naruto lashed out with a punch that was slapped aside. Undeterred, Naruto aimed a kick at Jiraiya's midsection that again got slapped aside.

Okay, Jiraiya was not a joke.

"This is how it's done."

Naori took advantage of Naruto's inaction as he attacked Jiraiya while holding what looked like war fans. They were the collapsible types, but both were fully extended as she tried to cut into Jiraiya.

It wasn't working, however, as Jiraiya stayed well ahead of her slashes. Naruto didn't savour the sight for too long as he bit his thumb before summoning his tonfa.

Jiraiya was too heavy to pull off-balance so Naruto would just have to use his tonfa to give him extra reach and power. Naruto turned them so that the long side extended past his hands before he rushed Jiraiya.

Jiraiya's back was fully turned so Naruto had a clean shot as he struck out with a punch. Naori was keeping Jiraiya very busy and that was what helped Naruto to get the first solid hit of the match.

Or so he thought, anyway.

Jiraiya grabbed onto Naori and used her as a shield to block Naruto's tonfa. Naruto wasn't the biggest fan of Naori, but he didn't exactly want to break her jaw so he slid to a stop instead.

That seemed to work in Jiraiya's favour as Naori was pushed into Naruto with some force behind her. That sent them both stumbling away from Jiraiya. Naruto shoved Naori aside before attacking Jiraiya once more.

It was a similar dance to before as Jiraiya wove between Naruto's tonfa in a surprising display of acrobatics. Naruto saw he was getting nowhere fast and he channelled chakra into one of the many seals on his tonfa.

Six-inch blades slid out the front of his tonfa and now Jiraiya was in considerably more danger than before. This was proven as Naruto managed to cut the bottom of the vest Jiraiya was wearing. A few inches lower and that would have been the string holding the bell.

Naruto was about to channel wind chakra to the blades to really put the pressure on Jiraiya, but the sound of something flying through the air made him back from Jiraiya.

"Suiton: Teppodama (Water Release: Gunshot)!"

A series of spheres of water were being fired at them by Fū and a fair few were actually aimed at Naruto instead of Jiraiya. Naruto channelled wind chakra into his tonfa blades before cutting the first of the water spheres in half.

The sphere collapsed to the rocky floor and water spread all across it. That would prove to be his doing as he felt Naori kick him forward from behind. Naruto was wildly off-balance as he slipped on the rock towards Jiraiya.

Multiple water spheres were still racing towards the two of them, but Jiraiya seemed to ignore them as for the first time he reared back his fist. The punch slammed into Naruto's stomach and immediately all the air in his body was expelled.

Naruto lost his grip on his tonfa before he was sent flying. His scarf trailing in the wind as he flew away from the platform. He slammed into the ground before rolling to a stop on his side.

Naori pushed him into Jiraiya. And Fū tried to snipe him from range. Fuck it, the gloves were off. Teammates be damned, Naruto was winning this.

Naruto went through the seals for the Sankousen, but this time he aimed at Naori who was still chasing an elusive Jiraiya. He looked at her through the triangle his hands made.

The Sankousen was fired with perfect accuracy and Naori was so focused on chasing after Jiraiya that she didn't notice until the end. She just managed to cross her arms before she was sent flying off the platform at an upward angle.

That should keep her away for a while. If she was lucky she'd land in the water and if she was unlucky well...the branches around here weren't thick enough to break bones.

Naruto raised his hands channelling chakra into the bracelets around his hand and as if held up by his invisible strings his tonfa raised off the ground before flying towards him. He caught them by their handles before extending their blades once again.

He was about to charge, but Jiraiya went through two handseals before slamming his hands onto the ground. Naruto could just barely feel the large amount of chakra being used as Jiraiya's voice echoed through the air.

"Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld)!"

In mere seconds, the ground surrounding the platform transformed into a swamp. Naruto sank almost immediately and as he channelled chakra as he tried to fight his way out he found he only sank faster.

The water-walking technique was a bust and Naruto stopped struggling which slowed his descent. Naruto was growing more anxious as time went by. Jiraiya was a tough nut to crack and an impossible situation just seemed to become even worse.

"At least Fū is probably–no fucking ways," Naruto was cut off as he caught sight of Fū looking a bit muddied, but the kicker was she was _flying_. Green, insect-like wings with an orange membrane stuck out her waist and she was using it to fly.

Clearly, Fū had some sort of family jutsu that gave her wings. That was a clear sign as anything that she was going all out since he and Naori were indisposed. Well, it was too bad for her that Naruto still had a way out.

Naruto closed his eyes as he placed his hands in the swamp. It was probably a bad idea to try and call his tonfa to him so Naruto decided to go for his last trump card. It was the only card he could play right now. Hopefully, he would pull it off before he sank into the mud.

Ryoku's scarf was still in great shape after all.

* * *

Jiraiya had known his modification to the bell test would cause some friction, but he didn't think it would be this bad.

Fū had tried to take out Naruto when he was closest to getting the bell. Naori had kicked Naruto towards Jiraiya (and the boy deserved every bit of that punch for ruining his vest) and to top it all of Naruto had sent Naori flying up and away with some wind jutsu.

What a shitshow.

Now, he had to deal with a flying jinchuuriki that could spam water jutsu like no one's business. Jiraiya had already decided to supplementary ninjutsu and taijutsu on them, but with Fū up in the sky that wasn't panning out well.

Still, though, he was able to punch through the Teppodama using a severe bastardisation of Tsunade's super strength. It worked and made him look badass, but it still kinda stung.

Fū seemed to get fed up with using the Teppodama and instead she switched to making a water sword– one of Taki's most recognisable jutsu. She dove in for a swipe and Jiraiya was forced to jump to the side.

She seemed to only be able to move in a straight line in her dive, but she was moving pretty fast. Fū swooped in with a few swipes that were forcing Jiraiya to keep moving. She formed another sword on her other hand and now she had two swords.

Great.

Instead of diving in again, however, she threw the swords like they were a spear. They smashed into the platform with enough force to crack the rock.

Not good.

Fū kept firing swords of water at Jiraiya and in truth he was beginning to get pressed. If only he was more ruthless like Sarutobi-sensei. One earth dragon would be enough to shoot Fū out the sky. Unfortunately, he wasn't so he was forced to keep moving around on the pulverised platform.

Fū seemed to change things up as she threw both her swords this time. Jiraiya tracked their trajectory and was ready to dodge when an arsenal of shuriken attached to wires slammed into the floor.

Jiraiya saw a ruffled Naori standing on the branch of a tree and he realised she must have rigged the trap while he had been avoiding Fū's jutsu. That was good. The wires pretty much hemmed him in and Jiraiya's worry only doubly when he saw a wire hanging from Naori's mouth.

"Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!(Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu)"

She breathed out a flame resembling a dragon's head. It ignited the wire before igniting several others as the extent of the wire labyrinth was revealed. They were finally working together.

If he had been so inclined, Jiraiya could have fired off a lightning jutsu to shock Naori or use a wind jutsu to cut the wires up, but instead, he decided to take the bait and jump into the air.

He expected Fū to charge right at him, but to his surprise, her wings slowly retracted before she fell towards the burning platform. Jiraiya was about to use a Daitoppa to blow her towards the swamp, but Naori dove from her spot in the tree and directed the two of them into the swamp.

A burst of chakra came from down below and Jiraiya felt his eyes bug out as a multitude of gleaming chains rose from the ground.

Naruto.

The chains caught Fū and Naori before throwing them at Jiraiya. Naruto's aim was a bit off so Jiraiya was forced to adjust his fall with a sealless wind jutsu. The two kunoichi were able to adjust in the air to face him before they smashed into him.

The three of them flew through the air before landing in the swamp below with a splash of mud. Despite the gunk coating his clothes, Jiraiya felt happy that his team had come together at the end.

A siren sounded out signalling the end of the test and Jiraiya rose to his feet as he prepared for the home stretch of the test.

* * *

Jiraiya took in the muddied and tired forms of his genin. They looked anxious as they sat in front of him while he stood staring down at them all.

"You guys didn't get the bell, but you managed to get me off the platform," Jiraiya said and he could see their anxiety grow with each word, "So which one of you goes back to the academy?"

"Should it be the one who pushed her own teammate towards danger?" he said looking at Naori causing her to look down.

"Maybe the one who tried to hit her teammate with a water jutsu multiple times?" Fū seemed to shrink as the words left Jiraiya's mouth.

"What about the guy who actually did hit his teammate with a jutsu?" Naruto's face scrunched up and he began to fiddle with a rock at his foot.

Jiraiya waited for a moment before speaking, "All of you are talented in different ways. Naruto, your hand-to-hand combat has immense potential. Naori, your skill with traps is well beyond any expectations I had and Fū can actually fly. I know exactly one other person who can do that and trust me even I wouldn't want to fight him."

"That's the problem with talent though," Jiraiya said as the three genin looked at him, "Talent makes you arrogant. And selfish. You guys fought each other to get a chance at fighting me. I've been a shinobi for over four decades. You guys couldn't beat me."

They looked ashamed and downcast after his speech as he verbalised the doubts they would have had throughout the fight. They stood no chance of legitimately passing on their own.

"And yet you did," Jiraiya said which seemed to surprise the three of them, "You guys didn't plan it and I could have ended this early on, but you guys came right in the end. Fū forced me out of position, Naori trapped me and then Naruto got you guys to take me off the platform."

"Do you know what my sensei said to my team after we did so bad in our own test?" Jiraiya received three shakes of the head, "He said that talent wins you fights, but teamwork wins you wars."

"You guys have a lot of talent, but your attitudes will kill you if you don't change," Jiraiya said causing the three of them, "I know all three of you are used to being on your own. I am too, but I'm here now. Together, we can become the best team this world has ever seen. What do you say?"

"I thought you were just a total loon when we met, sensei," Naruto said as he rose to his feet, "But now I see what the big deal is. We're in and we won't let you down."

"Naruto's right," Fū said as she rose to her feet, "We're in this together and we don't give up."

Naori was the last and she stayed down for a while yet before she rose to her feet.

"What Fū and the idiot said."

Jiraiya ignored Naruto's glare towards Naori as he smiled at his team, "That's good to hear. You guys are hereby known as Team 11. We'll meet at the Hokage tower tomorrow at 9 AM. We're getting some missions. Now, go take a shower. You guys smell terrible."

Jiraiya ignored the protests that Naruto and Naori kicked up as he disappeared in a Shunshin. They were good kids. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad being a sensei.

* * *

Hiruzen let out a sigh as he began to prepare his cigar. The day had been a rather busy one as all of the genin had taken their sensei's test today. It had gone rather well as only a few teams had failed.

The skill level displayed was also said to be far removed from what had been the norm and that was good news in and of itself. In even better news, the Elite genin teams had all passed their tests.

Kurenai was a newly-elected jounin and so the pressure was on for her even more so than the other jounin. However, she had revealed that her team had done a phenomenal job tracking her down in the Forest of Death. Team 8 was a primary tracking team with assault capabilities and that bode well for them.

Asuma's team had done just as well, but considering the history between the clans of the Ino-Shika-Cho combination, it was to be expected. Team 10 was a capture and interrogation team, but they would also serve as decent back up to any of the other team in any role.

Chouji was a good fighter, Shikamaru had a knack for setting traps and Ino was a competent medic. They would never be a full-out assault team, but they would be great for setting traps and ambushes.

Team 7 was a team with immense potential. It always seemed to be the case with Team 7. The Sannin had been on Team 7 and it was Jiraiya who had taught Minato once again on Team 7. Now Kakashi was the team leader and if the pattern fit then it meant one of Kakashi's students was going to become Hokage.

Hiruzen didn't exactly believe that because for the most part the most promising students were put under the best sensei who just so happened to come from Team 7. Sasuke, Hanabi and Sakura were perhaps the most versatile of all the genin teams.

Assault, tracking, search and destroy. The team could pretty much do it all especially with someone like Kakashi at their helm. However, even though he was meant to be impartial Hiruzen knew there was one team that stood above the others.

"Are you just going to stay outside the window, Jiraiya?"

"I was just testing your skills, sensei," Jiraiya said as he came in through the window, "You're not getting younger, you know? Someone has to keep you sharp."

Hiruzen would probably never admit it to his face, but Jiraiya was his favourite from the beginning. The boy had not been a natural like Tsunade or Orochimaru, but his stubbornness was such that he equalled and arguably surpassed them long ago.

His students were all scattered to the wind, but Jiraiya, despite his antics, was his most reliable student and he always had been. There was no else in the village that Hiruzen trusted more to train Team 11.

"How did they do?" Hiruzen asked getting down to business immediately.

"They passed, but they have some issues," Jiraiya said but they both knew that would be the case, "Naori and Naruto don't get on well. It swings from being playful to rather serious. Fū seems to be doing her best to act cheery so they don't direct their anger at her which is a problem. They were sabotaging each other through the test."

That was kind of the point of the bell test, but usually, teammates did not take conscious effort to screw over their teammates even with the threat of demotion hanging over their head.

If it were any other team, they would have failed, but that was not an option with these three.

"How did they manage to pass then?"

"Fū covered for Naori and allowed her to set up a trap and then Naori saved Fū from danger. Then Naruto threw them using his chains to knock me off the platform," Jiraiya said as he smiled, "I kind of had to allow myself to get baited, but it seemed to work."

"This is perhaps the most valuable team we've ever had Jiraiya and there'll be eyes on them," Hiruzen said causing Jiraiya to frown, "Even if Shisui weren't on the run, Naruto and Fū will run into a lot of problems. Their status is already known to a lot of villages."

"I know," Jiraiya said as he reclined in his seat, "Two jinchuuriki and the sister of an S-rank, family-killing nukenin. I know what's at stake here."

"When will we tell Naruto about his Bijū? Fū already knows about the Nanabi," Jiraiya asked as Hiruzen put down his pipe, "He needs to be told eventually. His team too. They have two jinchuuriki on one genin team with me as their sensei."

It would be impossible to paint a bigger target on their backs.

"I'll leave it to you to tell him whenever you like," Hiruzen said causing Jiraiya to frown, "Fū took the news well and I expect Naruto to do the same as well."

Fū had been rather glad to be rid of Taki and while Hiruzen only saw her once every few months, the teachers at the Academy said she was doing well in her classes. Of course, only the council and a few others knew about her status as a jinchuuriki.

That mistake would not be repeated.

Naruto, on the other hand, had been distancing himself from Hiruzen. It hurt, but Hiruzen hoped that he and Naruto would reconcile eventually, but he would not push the matter just yet.

He only hoped it came before any large-scale conflict with the other villages. That could warp Naruto's personality as well as his perception of Hiruzen even further.

It was times like these that Hiruzen wished he could have been born a civilian. He'd have lived somewhere in the world without the weight of a village on his shoulders. He and Jiraiya both yearned for peace, but they were both honest enough to know it was a fool's quest.

There was war and there was the time between wars. That was how it was and how it always would be. Enemies would always be circling Konoha waiting to strike and it was their duty to cut them down before they could move against Konoha.

That was what being a shinobi was all about.

"The air in here just got very depressing," Jiraiya said as he reached into his vest to pull out a notepad, "You will _not_ believe who was at the hot springs today. My next book will be one for the ages."

That seemed to clear the air considerably and Hiruzen feigned impassivity as he said, "I'd rather if you didn't say. It wouldn't be very becoming of a Hokage if I knew stuff like that."

"You sound just like a Hyuuga now," Jiraiya said as he put away the notepad, "I bet they use their Byaukgan to sneak a peek all the time. The best part is no one ever thinks about it! Give in to the dark side, sensei. Your crystal ball is perfect for my research. Come on, I'll knock half of my royalties on my next book if you give me that."

Hiruzen laughed off Jiraiya's semi-serious(it was probably fully serious) offer. There was no doubt about it now.

Favourite student by far.

* * *

"Come on, kids," said a woman with her hair up in a bun, "I didn't pay to work so slowly. Move your feet!"

Naruto sighed as he carried a large box downstairs. It's not like his team did not know what D-rank missions were. It was just that no matter how you sliced it, being someone's errand boy was not good fun.

This had been their routine for the past two weeks. Practice formations and then go walk dogs for the Inuzuka. Taijutsu training and then go paint someone's fence. The worst one by far was practising ninjutsu with Jiraiya and then having to clean up the training ground they were using.

Naruto didn't even know that was a thing.

All in all, they were fast approaching 20 D-ranks and Naruto's patience was wearing thin. Yes, they were still genin and yes they would eventually start C-ranks but seriously. He needed an actual mission now.

"Come on, Uzumaki," Naori said as she shoved past him, "Sensei said we need to be done by 12 and we only have ten minutes."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Naruto followed after his teammate and put his box on a cart outside the building, "There's only one box left anyways. Fū's probably got it."

As Naruto predicted, Fū came out of the house holding the last box. She put it down on the cart before taking out a scroll from her holster. The owner of the house came out and she signed the scroll before handing it back to Fū.

"It could have been faster, but it was good enough, I guess," she said causing Naruto to roll his eyes, "I guess that's what I get for hiring shinobi. Lazy know-it-alls."

"I'd like to see her move all of this herself," Naori muttered under her breath causing Naruto to snort.

"She'd probably throw her back out lifting the first box," Naruto said causing Naori to let out a laugh that drew the woman in question's attention.

"What was that?" the woman asked as she looked towards the two of them, "Did you two say something?"

Thankfully, Fū was able to bail them out as she began to walk away, "Come on, guys! Sensei said we have to meet him at the Tower."

Fū dragged them along and soon they were well on their way to the Tower. Naruto shrugged off Fū's grip as he decided to not be seen getting dragged by someone as thin as Fū.

That was all people would see Naruto getting dragged by some tall girl. None of them knew that she was fucking strong. Her punches and kicks _really_ hurt. Naruto was sure he gave as good as he got in, but Fū's strength was really surprising.

Naori was also, as much as it annoyed him to admit, very good. She wasn't near as strong as everyone on the team, but she was fast. Her technique was also really good. Fū wasn't sloppy per se, but Naori good was good at reacting to and countering moves.

For someone who preferred being on the front foot when attacking like Naruto, it made for a good exercise.

Apparently, this was the basis of the Uchiha's taijutsu. They waited for you to strike before hitting back with pinpoint accuracy. They had avoided sparring against each other for the most part. The most they had done, as well as with Fū, was acting a living dummy for some of their moves.

They would parry, block or dodge to help whoever was the attacker get a better feel for their moves. It was how Naruto knew he'd be better off avoiding or parrying Fū's punches and how any sloppiness would be taken advantage of by Naori.

"We'll never make it on time," Naori said as she shrugged herself free from Fū's grasp, "Grab on guys."

Naruto scrambled to grab onto Naori's arm who didn't look impressed by his actions at all, "I'm not getting left behind on another Shunshin."

"That was two weeks ago!"

"It still happened," and with that Naruto stubbornly faced forward. He heard Naori sigh before he felt her chakra build up.

The world around them blurred as they were taken across streets, over rooftops and so on until they finally stopped in front of the Tower. Naruto disentangled himself from Naori as he felt a little queasy.

"How did you get so good at those?" Naruto said as he tried not to give everyone a peek at what he had had for breakfast, "Using so many consecutively should hurt your coils. Did someone teach that to you? You've got to give me a good word in with whoever it is. They must be really good."

To Naruto's surprise, Naori's response was far colder than their usual jibes at each other.

"That's none of your business," Naori said as she walked inside the Tower. Naruto raised a brow in confusion before turning to Fū whose face simply looked pained.

"Do you know why she's like that?" Naruto asked with some heat in his voice which caused Fū to stiffen up as she smiled awkwardly.

"I don't think we should be talking about Naori behind her back," Fū said as she crossed her arms in something of a nervous gesture, "That's not what friends do."

"Friends?" Naruto said with some derision in his voice, "We've only known each other for two weeks. We can't really call each other friends just yet."

Naruto knew he had messed up when he saw Fū's smile die on her face. Her expression morphed into a cross between hurt and angry before she stalked off into the Tower.

"Sensei's probably here already. Let's go."

In just one minute, Naruto felt like he had pretty much erased the goodwill they had gained since the bell test. This was why he preferred working alone. Hinata was easy to get along with, but even then he mostly spent time sparring or eating at restaurants with her.

Naruto didn't mind working alone. It was what he preferred in all honesty and what he was comfortable with. He'd been alone since the beginning and he had long made peace with that.

If Naori and Fū wanted to be dramatic about some harmless things he had said then so be it. He had better things to do than bending over backwards to please them.

* * *

Hiruzen watched as the three members of Team 11 stood apart from one another. They all seemed to be angry about something and a glance at Jiraiya showed he did not know what it was about.

Hiruzen had some reservations about giving them this mission, but perhaps some time outside the village would allow them to decompress. Jiraiya hadn't started full-contact training because he wanted his team to build up more trust, but it was clear that was a moot point now.

"Team 11 you have completed 17 D-ranks and so you qualify for a C-rank mission," Hiruzen said as he decided to get this fiasco over and done with, "You'll be escorting the owner of one the biggest clothing companies in Hi no Kuni."

That seemed to perk the interest of the three children. This leaned towards B-rank, but considering the client was only the owner of a clothing company it was deemed low-risk. If he were a mining magnate or the family of someone in the Daimyo's court then it would be a different story entirely.

"He has a penchant for gambling and he wishes to go to Saisho Town for a small tournament before heading to a massive tournament in Shirai City," Hiruzen said which thankfully did not deflate the mood of Team 11, "From there you will escort him to the Fire capital which is only 6 hours away from Shirai at a civilian's pace."

Hiruzen handed four scrolls to Jiraiya who distributed them amongst his team. They did not open them, however, so Hiruzen decided to explain the contents. They would have learnt this procedure in the Academy, but a refresher was never a bad idea.

"Our intelligence department has marked out the optimal routes between each destination to avoid contact these are sorted by safety, length and difficulty of navigation," Hiruzen said almost as if reading off a script, "I expect you to memorise these reports before you begin your mission tomorrow

"Finally, the scroll has recent reports from patrols that gone near to these areas. There has been no shinobi activity and only a few other vagrants and the like in the area. It also has locations of the nearest Konoha outposts should any danger befall you."

"This is standard procedure for every mission and your scrolls will usually contain information like this," Jiraiya said as he caught his team eyeing the scrolls with interest, "Sometimes it will have items sealed inside that you'll need for each mission that's prepared by the Mission Readiness department like explosives, maps and other tools."

Jiraiya opened his scroll and pointed to, "It also has a list of suggested items to take along. This is about two weeks long so pack wisely. Add what you feel you may truly need. Luckily, this is just an escort so there isn't extra stuff sealed in the scroll."

Hiruzen watched as Team 11 absorbed every word from their sensei. Jiraiya's charm working to distract them from whatever issue they were currently having.

"Team 11, do you accept this mission?" Hiruzen said drawing a nod from the three genin, "You will meet your client at the eastern gate tomorrow at 8 AM. Good luck."

The three genin bowed before they left leaving Jiraiya and Hiruzen in the room. Jiraiya seemed to know what was on Hiruzen's mind as he held up his hand.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm on it. I'm not blind, you know?"

"Make sure Naori and Naruto can at the very least put it aside for the mission. I think their...rivalry may have turned sour and it's beginning to affect Fū," Hiruzen said not reacting to his student's childish tone, "It's very hard to work missions when teammates are angry at each. Remember our mission to Cha no Kuni?"

"Don't remind me," Jiraiya grumbled as he brought a hand to his face, "I'll try to take care of this. Naruto and Naori are stubborn, but I'll do as much as I can before the mission."

"That's all I'm asking for, Jiraiya."

* * *

Naori entered her house in a huff. The door slammed hard behind her as she stormed her way up to her room. Her room was rather spartan. Bed. Dresser. Closet. Table and chair. The only thing that really stuck out was the purple linen on her bed.

Naori threw herself on her bed and she bounced up and down a few times before finally slowing to a stop. She reached for a pillow before screaming into it.

Every single day, she tried so hard to ignore everything that had happened. Once, her parents were buried, Naori buried every negative feeling she had and just pushed it down.

If she didn't then she would relive her brother killing her parents over and over and over again in different ways. Poison, blades, fire, water, lightning the list went on and on and on. By the time she had awoken in the hospital, it had already been a few hours since Shisui had defected.

She still remembered the scene of Shisui standing over Naruto. How could she not? Every moment of the last day she had had a family was burned into her mind. Later, she had been told by Itachi that Naruto had been the one to save her from Shisui.

She had been swarmed by family and friends alike who only had pity in their eyes. Some of the more slimy Uchihas had tried to adopt knowing it would elevate their status within the clan. She had rejected and pushed them all away.

Itachi's family were the only Uchiha she spoke to these days. Sasuke treated her the same as before the incident which was how she preferred it. They weren't close, but they were still family.

Itachi had started spending a lot of time outside the village, but she was always happy to see him and Izumi. Fugaku-sama was never around, but he was always courteous. Perhaps he saw a bit of his dead sister in her.

It was Mikoto who was the nicest to her, though. She taught Naori how to use her war fans. She helped Naori prepare for her Elite classes. Mikoto was the closest person in the clan to her by far. So when Mikoto offered to adopt her it was like a slap to Naori's face.

She loved Mikoto, but her family would never be Naori's family. Some paperwork would never fill the hole in her heart. It hurt doubly more as whispers at the back of her mind reminded her of the other Uchihas vying to use her as some sort of status booster.

It hurt.

So she pushed it down and pulled away from the clan. She barely went to meetings and only occasionally went to parties. She stayed away from using the clan healers. She basically became a non-Uchiha with Uchiha privileges. She was allowed to. Perhaps Fugaku-sama had something to do with it.

Naori was glad for it. She was allowed to train on her own and even though she never unlocked her Sharingan, Naori was proud of her progress. She had made friends in the Academy and her life had relatively stable.

Right until two weeks ago when she saw Naruto.

The memories came back as she remembered the boy her brother had so very nearly killed. The boy who had just upped and disappeared without a care in the world. Naori had seen around at the Academy, but usually, she was able to push down on the emotions that rose.

She couldn't exactly do that when she would be spending the foreseeable future together with him. That combined with the fact that he forgot who she was made her angry. That probably played into how badly they got on even after two weeks. However, the final straw was with what he said about her and the Shunshin.

Everything just came–

"You know the pillow is supposed to go under your head, right?"

"What are you doing here, sensei?" Naori sat up and faced her sensei who was standing in her doorway. She wasn't even surprised he had gotten inside her house so easily. She'd probably be a lot more disappointed if she had detected him in all honesty.

"I don't know what happened between you guys, but you need to sort it out soon," her sensei causing her to frown, "Naori, I know what happened in this house. I know it weighs heavily on you, but believe me, your teammates also have a lot of baggage."

Naori was sort of surprised to hear that. Naruto, she could tell had some issues. It was in the small stuff. He always stood near a door or window when they were in rooms. His eyes always swept all over the place when they were in a public place.

It was weird.

That being said, she did not recognise anything with Fū. The girl was as sweet as they came and Naori really felt like she could come to truly trust the girl. Fū was the last person Naori would have guessed would have a tough past.

"What happened?"

"It's not my place to say," Jiraiya said which irritated her, "You just need to be more mindful of that. Tension like this only makes things worse for everyone in the team and you are a shinobi. If you cannot resolve it then push it aside for the mission and the team. You don't have to be friends with your teammates, but I expect you guys to work together all the same."

Push the issue aside? Naori had been doing that her whole life.

"I understand, sensei," Naori said and her sensei nodded.

He disappeared in a burst of smoke and Naori was thrown as she realised it had been a clone of her sensei the whole time. Naori shook it off, however, as she rose from her bed.

She needed to pack.

* * *

Fū was happy to be in Konoha. That was undeniable. The village was far friendlier than Taki had ever been to her. She was treated just like another girl.

It was nice.

Despite it all, Fū felt like she did not belong here. Or that she was some sort of fraud. She wasn't born in Konoha. Her family didn't come from here. It was not her home.

Konoha felt like more of a home than Taki did, but even then there were things she could not ignore. Everyone talked and walked differently. The food was different. The weather was different. The houses were different. Everything was different.

She was different

And everyone knew this.

She was certain none of them knew she held a jinchuuriki. Not only had the Hokage promised her, but they did not act like they were scared of her. It just always went the same way whenever she had tried to make friends.

They would get on great the first day, but then some aspect would scare them off the next day. It was always something that made Fū hate herself even more.

Kai would say her hair looked terrible. Mina would say her voice was annoying. Kara would call her clothes ugly. Gou would say something about her skin. It was always something no matter what Fū did.

It was her hair or her personality or how she walked or how she fought or how she ate or what she ate. Nothing was ever good enough. Fū had simply stopped trying after a while and that did work.

No one criticised her every detail and feature. She could go to parks and play games with younger kids. Merchants would give her discounts on her birthday. The Hokage had even given her scroll on water jutsu.

She did not need or want friends anymore. If she got bored, she would train. If she got lonely, she would read a book or sometimes she'd play with the kids from the orphanage at a park. Sometimes, she would go swimming in a stream outside the village. It was great.

That was where she had discovered to use her wings. She was going to miss her window for getting back to the village when she had dipped into a chakra that felt warm and strong. The wings came out of nowhere and so did the Anbu eventually.

The Hokage was a bit mad, but he forgave her. She had been given a tutor and training ground where she was allowed to practice using the chakra. It was the Nanabi's of course, but Fū had never felt unsafe when using it.

She never used too much. Just enough to grow her wings. It took her forever to learn how to fly, but she was an expert by now. By the time, she had been placed on her team, Fū could use her wings for up to thirty minutes at a time.

That dropped when she used ninjutsu, but that didn't matter to Fū. She could fly!

Her teammates were pretty jealous of that so Fū tried to not show it off too much. They were the first people to still like her the day after they met. And the day after that. And the day after that. And the day after that.

That all changed when Naruto said those words that even now drove a spike in her heart. Naruto didn't see her and Naori as friends? That hurt more than all of the other times.

Fū had bent over backwards because she had prayed and hoped and dreamed that Naori and Naruto would like her. Fū knew Naori had some problems in her past. She tried to act cool and confident, but Fū saw right through it.

The girl had some issues, but Fū didn't care. She understood why Naori was like that. Naruto was different, though. He was probably the nicest to her between her, Naori and Jiraiya-sensei.

She thought it was because he thought of her as a friend and she thought she was finally going to make some actual friends in Konoha that wouldn't bail on her.

She was wrong.

It took longer than usual, but in the end, she was wrong.

Why would anyone want to be friends with her?

* * *

Naruto sighed as he separated his tonfa with a pulse of chakra. An adhesive seal was quite simple in its design. It was made up of two sub-sections. One expelled chakra and the other absorbed chakra. When paired together, it made for an extremely sturdy bond.

Naruto had cut open his tonfa ages ago and the adhesive seal kept all of its inner components in place but also allowed him to put things back together very easily.

Naruto saw there was nothing amiss and he spent some time cleaning the hidden blades of his tonfa. The blades, along with his jacket and pants, had been ruined by Jiraiya's stupid swamp. Naruto now wore orange pants with a bland, blue shirt and jacket.

Luckily, his scarf and seal bracelet had made it out safe. The former was just comfortable, but the latter was tied to a lot of seals on his tonfa like the attraction seal. If they were damaged, Naruto would have been out two years of work.

Naruto put the various pieces of his tonfa together and he was about to begin packing when his window was pulled open. Someone had gotten past the seal on the window. Naruto picked up his tonfa before he channelled chakra into a seal on the corner of the shaft and the handle.

A burst of needles was fired at the intruder, but they were swiftly caught by none other than his sensei.

"Maybe I should have used the door," Jiraiya said his face pulled into a grimace before putting the needles he had caught on the table, "To be fair, using attraction seals on windows was an insult to a seal master like me. Plus, that barrier seal on it couldn't keep out any jounin worth their vest."

"What do you want, sensei?" Naruto said not even able to muster the energy to get mad. His annoyance was firmly focused on the other members of his squad.

"Pass me one your tonfa," Jiraiya requested and Naruto threw it to him. He watched as Jiraiya's hand began to emit blue light. The pervert moved his hand over Naruto's tonfa and the hidden seals on Naruto's tonfa were revealed.

"Your camouflage seal is working perfectly," Jiraiya said his tone ever so slightly impressed, "There's a lot going on here. A summoning seal. Trigger seals everywhere. I'm guessing that's how those blades came out during the test. I wonder what else is in this thing? A tracking seal... and ah there it is. A launcher seal."

Naruto felt his jaw drop as his sensei dissected every single seal on his tonfa.

"Let me guess you rigged a storage seal to the launcher seal to fire those needles. Clever, I've seen it done with kunai, but that's still impressive, " Jiraiya said throwing the tonfa back to Naruto, "There's a lot on here. You did well to compress everything. The wood's not the best quality, though, you may have to change it sooner than you think."

Naruto tried not to let his sensei's mastery at fuinjutsu affect him. On some level, Naruto was upset at how his sensei probably knew just as much as he did, but that was a fight for another day.

"Why are you here?"

"I was going to come here to tell you to sort out your beef with Naori, but I'm sure you guys can work it out."

Naruto did not quite feel like telling his sensei he had beef with Fū too.

"So why are you here?"

"You're the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi."

That caused Naruto to sit up in his seat. Jiraiya's eyes were on his stomach and it was then that Naruto realised he had grabbed his stomach on reflex. His sensei's gaze swept back up to him and for the third time in his life, Naruto felt like he was a mouse before a mountain.

"But you already knew that, didn't you?"

* * *

**Author Notes:**

**Wow, guys thanks for all the reviews last chapter you guys all made my day. It really inspired me to kick on and get this chapter out as soon as possible.**

**A lot happened in this chapter. A modified bell test. We got to see things from perspectives other than just Naruto's. He's still the main protagonist of course, but I like using other people's perspectives to propel the story.**

**As I said at the top, I have a subreddit, r/whiteleopard1124, which I'll use as a way to update and interact with anyone who's interested.**

**You can post questions, mission ideas, jutsu, fan art(I wish lol) or even ask what I'm working on.**

**I'll upload polls, some are for fun and some may have an impact on things like missions, characters that appear, jutsu and my update schedule. I'll also add stuff like progress on chapters, snippets and I'll post on the subreddit whenever a chapter has been uploaded.**

**I'll still respond to all PMs, but those of you who are interested can check out my subreddit. It is very barebones at the moment, but I'm gonna try and make it cooler. My reddit username is u/leopardchief just so you know.**

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**Stay safe, people. **


	6. Fortune

Naruto could not look more guilty if he tried.

The last thing he had expected was for his sensei to just reveal his jinchuuriki status to him and that had led to him placing his hand right over the seal.

"How long have you known?"

To Naruto's surprise, Jiraiya did not sound all that mad. His sensei was perfectly calm which was a massive departure from his usual behaviour. It made Naruto feel a bit better about being caught in a lie.

"That Shisui guy told me on the night he attacked me," Naruto said as he decided to come clean, "He used some sort of genjutsu on me. It showed me the Kyuubi attack right up until the Yondaime shoved the fox into my gut."

Naruto looked at Jiraiya who still remained quiet. The whole situation was rather relieving in a weird sort of way. Naruto had told exactly no one and for once he could just get this off his chest.

"I'm pretty sure that's why that Taki guy abducted me," Naruto said as he began to fiddle with the sleeve of his jacket, "I didn't tell anyone because the old man lied straight to my face. All my life, I'd been told I was nothing special and then I get kidnapped by our longest allies during a festival and he _still_ didn't tell me?"

Naruto felt his anger grow as long-buried memories came to the forefront, "I just acted like nothing was wrong. That I had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time, but I was so angry at the old man. Why couldn't he tell me? I know this was why a lot of villagers are weird around me and I get why they're like that. I really do, but why were some random civilians trusted over me?"

"I'm the one with the monster sealed inside me!" Naruto's voice rose with each word as he glared at his sensei, "I'm the one who can die at any moment if the seal fails! I'm the one who had to grow up all alone with no family and yet he never said anything about it to me!"

Naruto was breathing heavily as he stared at his sensei. Sharp pain in his hands drew his attention and he saw that his nails had made crescent-shaped marks on his palm. They were fairly deep, but right there and then the wounds began to heal before disappearing entirely.

"How long would this have gone on for? Is the fox the only reason the old man even cares about me?" Naruto said drained of any and all anger.

"Why me, sensei?" Naruto said his voice hoarse and low, "Why me?"

Silence reigned in the apartment as Naruto's words hung heavily in the air. All his anger and frustration had burst from him in one go and it was as liberating as it was depressing. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes until finally, Jiraiya broke the silence.

"It was the only way."

Naruto sighed but did not say anything else as Jiraiya picked up where he left off, "The Kyuubi is not like the other Bijū. The others can be sealed into objects or adults with moderate difficulty, but the Kyuubi is the strongest by a long way and it's not even a contest."

"You studied Advanced Chakra theory, right?" Jiraiya said drawing a nod from Naruto, "What's the principal difference between children and adults when it comes to their chakra coils."

The answer came immediately in Naruto's mind.

"You mean the Malleability Phenomenon?" Naruto asked and his sensei nodded.

"The properties of children are more prone to change than that of someone older," Naruto said with no real enthusiasm, "It's the whole reason clans teach their kids from a young age. If you start young you can alter your coils to your liking, but only to a certain extent."

"This has been used in the past by clans like Hyuuga and the Uchiha to strengthen the chakra coils around the eyes," Naruto said which drew a smile from Jiraiya and actually made him feel a bit embarrassed, "Uchiha and Hyuuga who did not do this faced a lower chance of activating their Dojutsu later in life because their coils could not take the strain."

The phenomenon drew its name from metalworking. It was far easier to shape metal that just came out of the flame as opposed to one that had already cooled down. The hotter the metal the easier it was to shape. The temperature of the metal was an analogy for age.

It wasn't a perfect analogy as training later on in life did yield results, but it explained the concept well enough. It was said that children that started young enough could even change or add affinities to the one they were born which is reportedly how the current Tsuchikage had managed to learn the Second Tsuchikage's supposedly unique Dust Release.

It wasn't a foolproof method, however, as children often did not have the control needed to fully or safely maximise their efforts. This resulted in accidents like permanent damage to organs, misshapen coils and even death.

All this told Naruto, however, was why a child had to have the Kyuubi sealed in them. It didn't tell him why _he_ out of everyone was chosen. Naruto made that clear to his sensei who seemed content to draw this out as long as possible.

"That doesn't really tell me why I was chosen," Naruto said, "Couldn't some random Uchiha or whatever have been chosen? They'd have a whole clan behind them."

"I'll give you three reasons," Jiraiya said as held up three fingers, "One, you might not be fully aware of this, but a jinchuuriki is a game-changer. It would completely throw the balance of power of the clans out of whack. Even if it were a small clan like the Kurama, they'd be right up there with the Uchiha in terms of firepower."

That...made sense. If the Kyuubi was as big a deal as it was being made out to be then giving it to a clan shinobi would probably cause issues as every clan would fight for the thing.

"Two, the attack was out of nowhere," Jiraiya said, "It takes weeks to prepare a Bijū transfer seal. So even if the clans had come to an agreement about who the fox would be sealed into, it would still take a while to implement. The Hokage did not have time on his side."

Naruto recalled the images of the attack. The Kyuubi had shrugged off hundreds of attacks like nothing. It had cut through buildings with just one swipe of its claws. Naruto had never seen the village in such a state of distress before.

"The third is actually the simplest," Jiraiya said piquing Naruto's interest, "The Kyuubi can only be held by an Uzumaki."

_An_ Uzumaki. As in more than one. Did that mean he had a clan? A family?

"You're the only Uzumaki left in the world, Naruto," Jiraiya's words crushed the hope that had bloomed within Naruto, "The entire clan and their village got wiped out years ago by Kiri and Kumo. Your mother was in Konoha when it happened because–"

"She was the jinchuuriki before me."

"Yes," Jiraiya said, not beating around the bush, "Uzumaki chakra is highly mutable. The Kyuubi's chakra would not affect you negatively at all. They were experts in fuinjutsu, but your actual chakra is what made you guys special. It's a part of the reason why you can use those chains. Your mother's seal failed when she was giving birth to you, and the Yondaime had no choice, aside from sealing the Kyuubi in you."

"The news of what happened got leaked by people at the scene and that's why you've had it so rough," Jiraiya said his tone sympathetic, "It was just bad luck."

Another period of silence reigned as a myriad of thoughts swam through Naruto's mind. This talk had revealed and taken away so much from him that Naruto could not deal with it all at once.

"I know it's a lot," Jiraiya said as he walked over to Naruto, "You probably feel angry and you should be, but at the same time you can't keep dragging it around. It will only hurt you in the long run. I've seen too many friends get caught up in their anger and they never recovered."

"Don't be like them," Jiraiya placed his hand on Naruto and he squeezed it tightly, "Be better. You're a good kid, Naruto. A lot of people would have ended up worse off than you are. It's okay to be mad at me or sensei or whoever you feel wronged you."

"But eventually you have to let it go," Jiraiya's voice was sombre and full of pain and sorrow, "It's not easy, but nothing ever is."

Jiraiya let go of Naruto's shoulder and he walked towards the door. He began to undo the various locks and seals on the door even as he continued to speak.

"Just remember you're not alone in this," Jiraiya said causing Naruto to raise a brow, "The Ichiraku family, the Hokage and me. Believe it or not, but we do care about you. We may do stuff that annoys each other, but that won't ever change the fact that you're important to us."

There was a click before Jiraiya opened the door. He turned back towards Naruto as he stood in the doorway.

"I'm not sure what happened between you and Naori," Jiraiya said with a hint of warning in his voice and Naruto felt compelled to speak but Jiraiya shook his head, "You guys are a team and you need to be able to push this aside for the mission. I know what's it's like to hate your teammates and you won't believe me, but those two girls are going to be an important part of the rest of your life."

"It's easy to be angry at the world, but you'd do well to remember that other people have pain too. It's easy to forget, but that is maybe the one thing that binds us as humans. Never forget that."

The door clicked shut and just like that Jiraiya was gone.

On some level, Naruto felt like he should be mad, but after the talk with Jiraiya that just felt pointless. His life hadn't been so great for a while, but there wasn't anything he or anyone could do to change that.

It was all in the past. It was as simple as that. If his mother's seal hadn't failed then who knew where he would have been today? Naruto did not know, but dwelling on it wouldn't help.

He was here now and he had to get on with his life. He owed to his mom, he owed to the Ichiraku family and the old man, but most of all he owed it to himself.

Naruto went to his door and he let out a sigh as he saw Jiraiya had somehow managed to warp his seals into words.

"These 'security' seals are terrible. I'll show what real fuinjutsu looks like when we get back. Now go pack your bags."

"Stupid pervert."

* * *

"Okay, guys. Look alive," Jiraiya said from the front of the group, "Saisho is only a few hours away from this point. Bandits are common in these areas so be on red alert."

Team 11 were in a diamond formation as they surrounded their client, Nobu Himura. Nobu was pretty much your average civilian at least in Naruto's eyes. He looked to be around thirty and he had brown hair and blue eyes.

The most notable thing about him, however, was the clothes her wore. An ornate red robe with fancy golden decals and made from the finest material money could buy. He wore black pants and a black shirt underneath it and Naruto was willing to admit the man had a good sense of style.

That should have been expected, however. It would have been weird for the owner of a clothing company to not have a good fashion sense. It must have been a rather reputable company too considering the hotel they would be staying at in Saisho.

"What games are you looking to play at the tournament, Nobu-san?" Naruto said from his position to the right of the man.

They had been on the road for five days and things had peaceful if not a little awkward. None of the three had forgotten the quasi-argument they had had in front of the Tower and as it turned out they were all willing to put it aside for the mission.

Naori and Fū pretty much only spoke to Jiraiya and so Naruto decided to go against the grain and keep the client entertained. Luckily, this seemed to have endeared Naruto to Nobu rather quickly.

"A bit of everything," Nobu said his voice surprisingly even for someone who had been walking for the past few hours, "I don't like to restrict myself when it comes to gambling. It isn't easy running a company so when I get the chance to relax, I do it in style."

"I know a thing or two about relaxing," Jiraiya said his tone just suggestive enough to convey what he really meant, "Has anyone managed to tie you down yet, Nobu? I hope it from me, the bachelor's life is the best way of living."

Naruto could only sigh. They had found out on the trip exactly which books Jiraiya was the author of. Naruto had been embarrassed, but Nobu had been pleased which only made things worse in Naruto's opinion.

Nobu sensed his discomfort and he smiled at Naruto, "You may be uncomfortable speaking about it now, Naruto, but there'll be a time where you find someone you're attracted to. I was exactly the same at your age, but I changed."

"I don't know about that one," Jiraiya said as he stifled a yawn, "That kid is as boring as they come. All he does is train, train and train. The day he gets a girlfriend will be the day the moon crashes onto Konoha."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Naruto said with no real heat in his voice, "If I didn't train so hard then how else would I know about the bandit up in that tree over there."

Everyone except for Jiraiya tensed up, but they all relaxed as they realised it was all a joke.

"Well played, Naruto," Nobu said a smile spread across his face, "You really got me going there."

Naruto only smiled back in response before they were on their way once more. That was pretty much where the longest stretch of conversation and aside from orders from Jiraiya or stoppages to refuel not much else went on.

The scenery around them was rather breathtaking. They had travelled through plains and forests over the past few days and Naruto had gained something of an appreciation for nature.

Their surroundings were much calmer than what he was used to in Konoha. He supposed this was why Jiraiya had spent a lot of time outside the village. It must have been great to explore all these places and Naruto felt a need to see the world for himself.

His whole life had existed within Konoha and now he knew it was just a small part of an enormous world. It was weird to know his whole life had taken place within the walls of a city.

That was one thing he envied about civilians. They could travel rather easily across the nations. Ayame had told him of the time she and her father had gone to Yu no Kuni for a holiday.

If it was half as good as Ayame suggested then Naruto would have to stop by there at some point in the future. The whole country was located above a series of geysers which apparently made for phenomenal hot springs.

Naruto cleared his head of any thoughts of hot springs. That would be for later. The team continued their trek through the forest until the forest began to shift over into grasslands. There were hardly any trees around when they spotted Saisho in the distance.

It was big, but probably not even a tenth of Konoha's size. Saisho was still one of the more popular towns in Hi no Kuni and it was home to a rather fancy hotel that Nobu had generously booked them to stay at.

There were three rooms booked and Jiraiya would probably sleep in the same room as Nobu so that meant Naruto would be getting a sweet hotel room to himself. Of course, he probably would not get to spend too much time in it since someone would have to be with Nobu at all times.

With no order from Jiraiya, Team 11 tightened their formation around Nobu. The streets were crowded and so they needed to act a deterrent for any risk-takers. Of course, their headbands identified them as shinobi so only the bravest of fools would try something.

It was a somewhat uncomfortable journey to the hotel. People were naturally very wary of shinobi and a lot of the time when people weren't scrambling to get out of the way, they were simply eyeing them as they walked down the streets of Saisho.

Finally, they made it to the hotel after maybe fifteen minutes and despite himself, Naruto let out a sigh. It was rather exhausting to always be 'on' as it were. It was doubly so since Nobu probably could not fight his way out of a bag.

Naruto put that aside as Nobu made his way to the receptionist at the desk. The woman smiled as the man reached the desk. Nobu reached into his robe and took out papers that were folded neatly.

"Hello," Nobu said as he unfolded the papers in his hand, "I sent a runner to book a reservation for Nobu Himura. Here are my papers."

The receptionist took the papers and looked them over before she took three from behind her on the wall," I've booked the three rooms for you. As requested, they are all adjacent to each other. I'll assume the Deluxe suite will be yours and the two Gold rooms will be for your...associates?"

"That is correct," Nobu said before handing keys off to Naruto and Naori, "Tell me. Will they be allowed to escort me to the casino?"

"We allow a maximum of two guards at a time," the receptionist said sounding slightly apologetic, "Any more would make a lot of our guests...uncomfortable."

That was around about what Naruto expected. Konoha civilians were obviously used to shinobi, but shinobi had something of a bad reputation to those that weren't used to them. They were seen as cold-blooded killers and crooks who worked for the highest bidder.

That was a pretty accurate reading.

In general, though shinobi did their best to avoid collateral damage. Not only was it bad for Konoha's image, but it was a sign of someone not having restraint which was not a good thing for a shinobi.

Often, the village had to pay out of pocket for any damage caused if a battle were to happen in a town. This was often deducted from the mission pay of whoever was responsible be it an individual or team.

Of course, a mark was put on your record as well which would make it harder for you to get higher missions and as such, it would be harder to get promoted. Promotion came with perks that were not only limited to increased pay but also involved better medical care and other such stuff.

There were a series of ways to get promoted, the most famous of them all being the Chuunin Exams. The Exams were a spectacle and basically a chance for villages to show off the talent of the shinobi.

The Exams were always organised by the Daimyo and often only allies were allowed to attend each other's exams. Suna was the only one of the big five that came to the exams that had Konoha in it along with a slew of other minor villages.

Apparently, Kumo and Iwa and Kiri had occasionally had Chuunin Exams together in the past, but Naruto had no idea whether they still had them or not.

Naruto was drawn out of his thoughts as Nobu thanked the receptionist before heading on his way. They went into the elevator and it was a surprisingly elegant design. It had mirrors that went from the floor to the ceiling on all sides.

Naruto felt eyes on him and he looked up to see Naori looking up at him. As soon as their gaze met, however, she turned away. Great. Naruto used the mirrors to look at Fū who also met his gaze but her face tightened up before looking away.

_Great_.

They were still working efficiently on this mission, but they would eventually have to deal with it all. Naruto wasn't so sure what he had done to piss the two of them off, but sooner or later this thing would blow up in their faces.

Naruto hoped it wasn't on the mission.

The elevator dinged and they all filed out as Jiraiya led them down the halls. They were still in formation and they must have looked comical as they walked down the hall whilst scanning every angle for attack.

Finally, they reached the end of the hallway which had two doors adjacent to it. It did not take a genius to figure out where everyone was staying.

"Ok, Nobu for your safety I am going to have to sleep in the same suite as you," Jiraiya said and he somehow managed to hide his delight that he was undoubtedly feeling, "Luckily it has two bedrooms so I don't have to sleep on what is probably a very comfortable couch."

"That's not a problem, Jiraiya-san," said Nobu as he unlocked the door and the team followed him in. The room was even better than Naruto expected. His mission pay probably wouldn't cover a night in this room.

Nobu clearly had money to burn.

"Uh, could I have my belonging from Naruto's...scroll I think it was?"

Naruto reached into his pouch and took out a storage scroll. He spread it on the ground before channelling chakra. There was a burst of smoke before Nobu's belongings were revealed.

"Fascinating, just fascinating," Nobu said as he marvelled at the sight, "You shinobi are truly amazing. I could only imagine what this could do for transporting my items in my business."

"You would need shinobi for that," Naruto said drawing a raised brow from Nobu, "Those seals need chakra to activate and adults can't activate their chakra past a certain age usually between 16 and 21."

"I see," Nobu sounded deflated before regaining his previous energy, "I suppose I'll have to hire Konoha shinobi then. That could cut down on costs. Colour me impressed, Naruto. You have likely earned your village a steady flow of missions."

"Don't get too cocky now," Jiraiya said placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "We're only here for one night. I'll do some surveillance while two of you go with Nobu to the casino. Hmmm, Naruto and Fū. Naori will get hers later. Sound good? Good. Go unpack and then head off. See you later!"

Just like that, Jiraiya was gone.

Naruto nodded to Nobu to excuse himself before walking into his room. It was also very fancy. Far and away better than Naruto's apartment. Naruto walked into his bedroom which had a bathroom attached and a huge bed right in the centre of it all.

He unsealed his backpack before throwing it on the bed. It had a few extra weapons, his tent and a change of clothes, but Naruto doubted he had time for a shower right now.

"Naruto!" Nobu said as he walked into the bedroom, "I hope you enjoy the facilities. Fū and Naori must be rather jealous you have this all to yourself?"

"Maybe," Naruto said which seemed to amuse Nobu, "Are you heading to the casino now?"

"No, no," Nobu said shaking his head, "I wanted to freshen up before heading off. Feel free to do the same. We _have_ been sleeping in the woods for the past few days. I doubt the other patrons at the casino would appreciate our rather...ripe smell."

"I understand, " Naruto said and he was more than a little grateful. Nobu left closing the door to the suite behind. Naruto stripped off before heading into the bathroom. It had a massive shower with multiple jets and a variety of soaps and shampoos available.

"Awesome."

* * *

"Oh look at that!" Nobu said as he took a look at the cards everyone around the table had, "I win! Better luck next time, guys."

There were a few good-natured jeers from everyone around the table as Nobu collected his winnings. Naruto rolled his eyes as they began yet another game. Nobu had booked out the table for the night and he seemed intent on leaving an imprint of his butt on his chair.

They were playing for large amounts of money and Nobu seemed to lose just as much he won. That made him very popular as he didn't seem to care all to much about how much was put in by his opponents.

Naruto knew the rules of the game, having played it a few times in the Warehouse District, but he had never played for money. It was a bit jarring to see how willing Nobu was to part with his money.

However, they had been here for hours and Naruto caught something about Nobu. He was throwing his games. A lot of the time, he had the right cards, but he'd back down instead of going for it. It really confused Naruto.

Who came to a casino to lose?

It didn't matter all that much, though. The dealer seemed content with the situation and so did everyone. There was even a line forming at the table with people looking to milk Nobu for all he was worth.

Nobu would occasionally order a drink, but for the most part, he engaged with his opponents in conversation. This went on for hours and so Naruto found his mind began to wander.

He and Fū had still not said anything and Naruto had replayed their conversation back enough times to see that his words had likely hurt Fū. It matched well with how he had noticed she was trying to act super-likeable when they first met.

Maybe she had little to no friends and was trying to finally make some within the team. That was at odds with how she had behaved during the bell test, but in all honesty, they had all tried to sabotage each other.

Hell, Naruto actually hit Naori with a Sankousen so he didn't have much of a leg to stand on. None of them did really.

They had spent the past few years trying to become shinobi so when it was on the line, they did what they had to. Even Fū who was eager to make friends.

So when Naruto said they weren't friends despite being teammates for the past two weeks, it probably hurt her feelings. If Fū had been a dick like Ryoku or annoying like Jiraiya then Naruto wouldn't have felt that guilty, but she wasn't which just made things worse.

Naruto didn't have that many friends. Ayame and her dad, Hinata, and if he stretched it Kiba and Iruka too. He didn't know how friends treated each other or much else about it really. He was used to being on his own, that's how it had always been.

It was easy with Ayame, she had started speaking to him when he first went to the shop. Iruka had also been the one to invite him for some ramen after they had an after-class discussion. As a matter of fact, Naruto had never actively pursued a friendship with someone.

And that, Naruto decided, sounded far from fun.

Was he just going to be some drifter? Someone people knew _of_, but no actually _knew_. That didn't sit right with him. He had spent so much of his time alone in his apartment and aside from training or going to the Warehouse District, he didn't do much.

Naruto had actually come to enjoy training with Hinata. They hadn't met up yet to set up a new schedule, but he _wanted_ to. A few months ago, he hadn't wanted anything to do with Hinata. Maybe he wasn't all that okay with being alone.

"Naruto," said Nobu drawing Naruto's attention, "You're looking a little bored. Come over here."

Naruto obliged Nobu after a glance at Fū who seemed just as confused as Naruto felt. Nobu moved away from his seat and gestured for Naruto to sit in it.

Shinobi were not held up to the same standard as civilians. They were seen as adults and so they were allowed to gamble and buy property, alcohol etc. Of course, just because they _could_ do something did not mean they _should_ do it.

Shinobi who could not control their vices were sort of frowned upon. Unless you were crazy strong like the Hokage with his smoking or some of the jounin Naruto saw frequenting bars or Jiraiya being Jiraiya. People became remarkably less judgemental when they knew you could kill them with ease.

Who knew?

"Come now," Nobu said as he gestured to the people around the table, "I'll cover you. You don't want to disappoint these people, do you?"

Aside from one woman that was rather pretty, Naruto did not care for the rest of them. They all looked like a bunch of typical rich assholes which made sense since they were in a fancy hotel. The one exception was a man who seemed to carry himself with a bit more seriousness and perfect stature.

A fighter of some kind probably. He definitely wasn't too strong, though. His body was not as defined as usual shinobi. Maybe he was a samurai in the Daimyo's army? A fair few were assigned to towns to police them so it wasn't outside the realms of possibility.

Naruto sighed before sitting down. Nobu seemed delighted and Naruto made sure to keep him in his line of sight. The dealer handed out the cards and the game began.

Naruto started out fairly well. He won a few hands and soon he relaxed. All the while, Nobu kept matching the highest amount placed by another player. They weren't large, though, so Naruto was able to play without the fear of losing hundreds of thousands of Nobu's money.

"I'm all in," said the samurai.

Naruto felt a pit form in his stomach. Everyone at the table had just as much as Nobu and if they didn't they would probably add some on top to match it.

"Me too."

And then another.

And then another.

"I see you guys came to play," Nobu said, "Fine, he's all in. No pressure, Naruto. This will have absolutely no bearing on your mission whatsoever."

After what felt like ages, the time came for everyone to reveal their cards. There were a series of groans as fools were parted with their money, but Naruto still wasn't out. There was one last place to check and that was with the samurai.

Naruto blinked as he saw the man's card.

"You genius!" Nobu said as he swept Naruto up from the table, "This has got to be over fifty million ryo! If I weren't married, I'd propose to you right now!"

Naruto had no idea how he had won so much until it clicked. Nobu had been flashing his money to attract all these rich snobs who weren't that good but were willing to throw money for some entertainment.

He probably let Naruto play to see how good he was before basically throwing him in the deep end. Nobu directed Naruto to seal away the money in a scroll which only seemed to impress the snobs further.

"Well, people," Nobu said, "I've got to go. It was fun playing with you."

There were a few cheers and boos before there was a loud thump on the table. The samurai slammed his fist on the table before stalking off. The air was awkward, but it soon faded as waiters came with more drinks for the table.

Naruto was about to follow Nobu when a hand landed on his shoulder. Naruto spun wildly, but he calmed down as he saw it was just his sensei.

"I saw what you did, Naruto," Jiraiya's voice was from its usual playful tone, "I am so–"

"–proud of you!"

"I didn't know you were so good at card games," Jiraiya said pulling Naruto into a tight hug, "Oh, we're going to have to hit the road sometime. You're like a cash cow! Man, if the princess got wind of this she'd probably cut off your legs and carry you around like a backpack."

Naruto put aside the very disturbing imagery as he pulled away from his sensei, "You're not mad?"

"Mad?" Jiraiya snorted, "I've heard that Nobu has pulled this stunt multiple times before on this exact mission. He's a great player, but betting on someone unproven is a bigger rush for him. Be glad it happened here and not at the Shirai tournament. People there take way less kindly to losing."

So Nobu had taken a mission like this before. It actually made sense. He seemed way too comfortable in the casino to not have frequented them. Naruto and Fū still felt a bit awkward.

"Nobu is very generous, so don't be surprised if some of that money trickles down to you," Jiraiya said before addressing Fū who had walked over, "You guys can head on out now. I can handle this on my own. That thug you beat will probably try to jump you so you should probably take it outside."

"Thug?" Naruto said, "I thought he was a Fire samurai."

"He is. A disgraced one," Jiraiya said, "He has a tattoo on his hand from a rather infamous mercenary group. I guess he chased the money. And lost it to you. I'll send a clone to tail you guys if it gets to be too much. Now scram. I wanna shake Nobu loose and see what falls out."

Naruto looked at Fū and they stared at each other before he shrugged, "Let's aim for the road leading into the forest."

"Okay."

They walked out of the hotel and Naruto was glad for his jacket and scarf as it was probably a bit chilly. Fū didn't seem to be bothered by the cold weather. They deliberately waited outside until they spotted their mark approaching one of the attendants inside the hotel.

He seemed to be having a rather animated conversation using a lot of gestures. One was to show the height of someone, presumably Naruto and he then held up two fingers. So he was looking for both Fū and Naruto.

They saw the attendant, who had seen them lurking outside, about to point them out so they turned away quickly. They waited a few more seconds before walking off.

The streets were still fairly crowded despite it being the night and so it was a bit of a mission to weave through the crowds. Luckily, there still seemed to be a fair bit of distance between them and the samurai who they spotted using windows and glances when turning a corner.

Finally, they reached the outskirts of the town and they heard a slow clap begin from behind. It was the samurai. He had a sword with him which they had not seen at first glance.

"So you brought me out here to fight, eh?" the samurai said as he took out his sword, "That'll make it easier to hide your bodies when I'm done."

"What do you want?" Naruto said to the man while beginning to channel his chakra, "Are you said I fleeced you of all your money? It's a bit surprising a loser like you could have so much anyways. Aren't you like a bandit or something?"

"A bandit?" the man said with derision in his voice, "I was a samurai for the Fire Daimyo. They fired me because they said I was too cruel. So I joined the Red Devils and you don't want any trouble from them. So give me that scroll unless you want trouble."

"Yeah, that's not happening. "

"Fine then, prepare to fall to Kurzawa Aito!" said the now-named Kurzawa before drawing out his sword and unlatching the scabbard from his back. It fell to the ground where it made a dull thump.

"Let's do this," Fū said as Kurzawa charged at them.

Fū made a water sword appear in her hand before she charged at Kurzawa. Naruto bit his thumb before summoning his tonfa. He flipped them long-side out before joining the fray.

Kurzawa was good. His technique was adept and he was good on his feet. However, he was just one person.

Kurzawa went for a slash at Fū's midsection, but Naruto slapped his sword aside with his tonfa. Fū pressed her advantage and landed a diagonal cut on Kurzawa's abdomen.

Kurzawa staggered back and Naruto charged after him. He switched his tonfa to the short-side before delivering a series of punches to Kurzawa.

First the ribs then the stomach then the chest. Finally, Naruto swung his tonfa by the handle and the long side swung like a door before it smashed into Kurzawa's face. There was a loud crack as Kurzawa collapsed to his knees and Naruto heard Fū shout from behind.

"Jump!"

Naruto did as asked and as he soared through the air he saw Fū finish a set of handseals as she raised her hands to her mouth.

"Suiton: Mizurappa! (Water Release: Water Trumpet)"

A spout of water was launched out of Fū's mouth before it smashed into a dazed Kurzawa. The ex-samurai was sent hurtling through the air before he smashed into a tree off to the side of the road.

They walked up to Kurzawa's slumped figure and saw he was unconscious. He had welts and bruises along the side of his face and the wound delivered by Fū was bleeding, but not too deeply.

"He'll be fine," Naruto said before holding his hand palm up. A few seconds later, a chain formed and Naruto made it wrap around Kurzawa tying him to the tree before disconnecting it from his hand.

"That should hold until the morning," Naruto said as he dusted off his hands, "I don't think he can use chakra either so it might be a bit longer."

"Let's head back to the hotel," Fū said as she let her water sword dispel, "You think it'll be fine to just leave him here?"

"He learnt his lesson," Naruto said turning away from the man, "Shirai isn't even far from here so we'll be long gone before he gets to us."

They both made their way back to the town, but Naruto stopped as he saw Kurzawa's sword on the floor and not too far away from it was his scabbard. Naruto picked up the sword before placing it in the scabbard.

"What are you doing?" Fū said her tone a bit confused.

"I want his sword. That bastard didn't have to attack us," Naruto said simply as he strapped it to his back, "Does it look good on me?"

"You don't even use a sword," Fū said but she was surprised when Naruto took the sword off and threw it at her.

"You keep it then," Naruto said, "You can't keep making water swords. If you don't like it you can mount it on your wall or something. Let's go, the perv is probably looking for us."

Naruto walked back towards Saisho and Fū followed after she managed to put the sword on properly. They walked back into the hub of activity that was Saisho's nightlife.

Neither of them saw Kurzawa's hand begin to twitch as he shifted in his restraints.

* * *

5 days later ~ Shirai City

* * *

"Come on, Naruto!" Nobu said as he offered a cup with two die in it to Naruto, "Give me some of that patented luck!"

Naruto sighed as he stepped forward and took the cup from Nobu. He shook the cup for a bit before throwing them out. Nobu cheered as he saw what numbers they had landed on.

"He's my lucky charm everyone!" Nobu said as he pulled Naruto into a side hug, "You can't use him, though!"

Naruto sighed as he stepped away from Nobu. The past few days had been torture on Naruto. Nobu had personally requested Naruto to be with him on every trip to the gambling halls of Shirai.

It was a truly massive festival. There were all sorts of games that Naruto had never even seen before. There were machines that had lights all over and made loud noises whenever someone hit the jackpot.

Nobu had convinced himself that Naruto was an expert at gambling. And so they had tried out virtually everything available at the festival. Naruto didn't have the heart to tell him he used wind chakra in a lot of the die games.

The fact that he was at Nobu's beck and call as well as having to stay on guard had worn Naruto's patience thin. This seemed to amuse his team to no end.

He and Fū were on better terms now even if they hadn't addressed the little incident outside the Tower. Naori seemed to have noticed this too and she, if possible, avoided Naruto even more.

With all the stress from running around after Nobu and then Naori's saltiness, Naruto was quickly getting over this whole mission thing. Maybe D-ranks weren't so bad after all.

"Okay, Nobu," Jiraiya said as he appeared causing Naruto to sigh in relief, "I think Naruto has had enough. Why don't you go to the exhibition centre? That stupid thing you like is on again."

Naruto perked up immediately before he ran off.

"Thanks, sensei!"

Naruto ducked and weaved through crowds of people before finally getting to the exhibition centre. He paid for a ticket before walking. The inside was similar to a stadium, but with one key difference and that being the elevated ring in the centre that had a ramp leading to it.

Naruto spotted Fū and Naori not too far away and he made his way towards them. He sat down next to them and he smiled as he saw a large box of popcorn in Fū's hands.

"Aw, thanks Fū," Naruto said as he took some out the box, "You're the best."

"Just be glad I'm a nice person," Fū said as she ate some of the popcorn, "You didn't invite me on the first day. You just disappeared for hours on end."

"I didn't know what this was!" Naruto said after eating the popcorn in his hands, "How was I supposed to know you would like this?"

"Because it's cool!"

The sound of beating drums filled the room before a slow-paced tune echoed throughout the hall. There were a series of cheers as the lights shut down everywhere except for the ring.

There was a burst of colourful fireworks before a masked-man in red clothing appeared on the ramp. There was a chorus of cheers as the masked-man held up his hands.

The man lowered his hands before running down the ramp to the ring. When he was a few feet away, he jumped over the ropes in a front flip and landed smoothly in a crouch.

"Psht, I can do that," Naori said before she saw the man launch himself into a front flip. He bounced off the ropes as he was in a handstand position before flipping backwards and landing in a crouch.

"Nevermind," Naori said as she turned to Fū, "What is this?"

"This is life, Naori."

Naori sighed before turning to Naruto who swallowed the popcorn he had pilfered from Fū.

"This is like sumo wrestling, but for entertainment and a thousand times cooler," Naruto said, "It's like the Chuunin exams, but for civilians only. Taijutsu only. There's usually one good guy and bad guy. This is Akashio, he's a good guy–"

"The best guy."

"–and Fū's favourite," Naruto finished before slow and ominous music began to play. Immediately, a chorus of boos began as a tall man dressed in black clothing walked out.

"That's the bad guy, Naka," Naruto added, but judging from Naori's dry expression she seemed to have reached that point on her own.

There was a bit of fanfare before the fight began. Naruto wasn't blind, he could see that some of the moves were overflourished for the crowd, but they were still amazing.

Akashio was an acrobatic and elusive fighter while Naka was just pure power. The fight went on for over ten minutes before Naka wrapped his arms around Akashio's arms from behind. Naka then bridged back and slammed Akashio on his head.

There was a collective groan from the crowd as the suplex connected before Naka pinned Akashio down. The referee counted for three seconds before calling the match. There was a series of boos, but Naka seemed to lap it up as he continued to taunt the crowd.

They watched a few more matches that all had flashy moves that made Naruto more than a little anxious to try out for himself. Finally, the last match came on and Naruto watched as a man climbed to the top of the ropes before jumping off in a series of spins and flips.

He landed on top of his opponent and the crowd let out a cheer as he went for the pin. Three seconds later, the man was crowned the winner of the match. He held up a weird golden belt thing before wrapping it around his waist.

He continued to show off for the crowd before finally heading to the back. Naruto rose to his feet and his teammates mirrored him as they began to make way for the exit. Once they were out, Naori was the first one to speak.

"That wasn't too bad," Naori said as they walked out the exhibition centre, "Do they only perform here or are they like a travelling act?"

"I think they travel and perform on television," Fū said causing Naruto to whistle, "So only rich people can really watch them constantly."

Television was not a new invention. It had been made a while ago and they were in the majority of houses. They could be used to play recorded videos from cameras or even movies.

The thing was there was a way to broadcast video over a distance. It used a combination of fuinjutsu, technology and probably a lot of other stuff that Naruto didn't know about. It was extremely expensive to use the broadcast feature though.

Only a few people could do it in the world which made it prohibitively expensive. Furthermore, one had to get a satellite for each channel they wanted to watch.

That meant that they probably could not watch Shangri-la Wrestling once they were back home unless they were willing to bust into a clan head or a rich civilian who had Shangri-la's satellite.

Maybe they could pool together money to save up for it or something.

It had been nice to actually spend some time together as a team. Naori did not seem too mad while they were watching the Shangri-la performers so that probably meant she wasn't as mad as before.

Probably.

* * *

"That's them right there," said a blonde woman who had her hair tied up before it hung down in four shoulder-length strands, "Blonde kid in blue and orange. Green-haired girl in all-white. They're the ones."

"So Kurzawa was telling the truth," said a man with black hair in a spiky ponytail, "It's too bad you killed him, Komachi. He was being honest."

"He also lost a million ryo of our money, Towa," Komachi said her voice exasperated as she looked down on three Konoha genin from the balcony above them, "It doesn't matter. I've already clocked their identities. The girl is Fū, no last name. Jinchuuriki of the Nanabi and the boy is Naruto Uzumaki, Kyuubi jinchuuriki."

"Poor kids. What a massive burden they carry," Towa said, but his words didn't match his tone, "Taki leaked their identities and they're just massive targets. Who of our old colleagues got saddled with them? Kakashi? Maybe Gai?"

"It doesn't matter who it is," Komachi said turning to face her partner, "The blonde kid has the scroll so he'll be the first target. They're headed to the capital next and there's only one road that way from here. So our men can overwhelm whoever they have with them."

"Let's go prepare the ambush before their sensei sniffs us out," Komachi said as she turned to leave, "Kaien Forest will have to do. Any closer to the Capitol and we'll be swarmed by Konoha shinobi and the Daimyo's guardians too probably."

"You need to relax, Komachi," Towa said laying an arm over Komachi's shoulders, "We're in this together? What's the worst thing that can happen if we lose?"

"Kagura will kill us."

"Ok, that's–"

"Or we get mauled by two demon containers."

"Ok–"

"We could get captured by Konoha who have been on our asses for years now."

"Fine," Towa said as he stepped away from her, "Things are bad, but it's fine we won't lose."

"Can two kiddie jinchuuriki and some jounin stand up to two former Anbu captains?"

"..."

"That's what I thought. Now let's go set up the ambush. I'll take the genin. You think you can handle the sensei?"

Komachi nodded to show her understanding before she left. Towa followed behind her as they began to prepare to take on two jinchuuriki.

It seemed bad, but it was a far better option than taking on Kagura if they failed here.

Kagura was far worse than any genin, jinchuuriki or not.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

**Hey guys, thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. It really pushed me to get this chapter out as soon as possible.**

**Yeah, Team 11 was watching wrestling. That stuff is good for the soul, I swear.**

**So shit's going down in the next chapter and we'll see how the team deals with it.**

**As always, please tell me what you thought. I love hearing from you guys.**

**P.S. I have a Reddit page called r/whiteleopard1124 that you can check out if you're curious. It has a Suggestions tab where you can submit ideas and I also put up my update schedule as well as the progress I make on chapters. Or you can PM me. Either way is fine. I'm also putting a poll up on there so be sure to vote!**


	7. Detection

**uwu, what's this? An update? (I'll never do that again)**

**It's been a while since an update, but I finally ground this one out. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

There was something different about the way Naruto and Fū were interacting now. Naori wasn't blind. She knew that the two of them had had a falling out and it probably came right after she had snapped at Naruto.

The entire team had barely been on speaking terms. Naori and Fū had also not spoken to each other all that much despite them not actually having an argument. The overall atmosphere of the team had been shifted way into the red.

It was surprising that they had operated with such efficiency on the mission– even if the bulk of the work nowadays was Nobi taking advantage of Naruto's luck. The only time Naruto had gotten time to relax was usually around the time that wrestling performance started.

It was surprising to see how invested Naruto and Fū had been in the display. Naori was sure that they must have made up in some way before arriving in Shirai. It was probably when they had taken down their assailant back in Saisho.

However, it definitely was not water under the bridge. Naori could tell that Naruto was going out of his way to not hurt Fū. He would take just a second longer to respond to whatever stuff Fū said no matter how inane. He never even responded to her taunts will all that much conviction.

That was not Naruto.

Naruto and Fū were definitely similar. They both strongly favoured ninjutsu and taijutsu. They seemed to have boundless energy which Naori had noticed on her first day of training. They were very excitable and seemed to revel in being said, there were quite a few differences.

Naruto was less...sociable than Fū. He did not give much information about himself and in fact, did not seem to care all too much about finding out about his teammates. He seemed...fine with keeping them all at arm's length.

Fū was the opposite in that sense. She was extremely curious about their lives, but unfortunately for her, neither Naori nor Naruto gave too much away. The way the two of them fought was also markedly different.

Naruto fought with more viciousness. That was obvious considering he used tonfa instead of a blade. He was at his best when on the front foot and he didn't give up an inch. Fū was less direct and would often drop back to give herself space.

The simplest way Naori could put it was Fū fought to subdue, but Naruto fought to crush. It was one of the bigger, but numerous differences between the two.

The same held true for Naori and Naruto. They were both proud and headstrong and stubborn. They both thought they were strong. They both would not back down from the other and that made for a lot of arguments most of them being lighthearted.

Naori could not help, but be somewhat annoyed at Naruto. It was not even his fault per se. Naori had just channelled a lot of her anger and frustration his way when he had asked about her Shunshin.

Any comparison to her brother just made her so _angry_. She had never been given an explanation or possible motivation. She had just seen the corpses of her parents lying on a bed in one of the hospitals and after they were given the Uchiha rites they were buried.

Just like that.

So when Naori had gone to the Academy after a few weeks away and she saw the boy who had saved her life she had been hoping to get an answer from him.

However, Mikoto had warned her away from bringing it up. She had said that Naruto would not want to recall that night and that he had likely been a witness to her parents' murder as well.

_"It would be cruel to make him recall something like that just to ask him about Shisui." _

So Naori let him be. The urge to ask him about it again had rekindled over the past few weeks and with it the emotions she had tried so hard to suppress. The question had sent her over the edge and Naori knew she had overreacted.

She wanted to bring it up, but a mission was hardly the time. Naruto clearly knew this as well from how he seemed to be trying to make amends to Fū for whatever had happened between them without actually addressing the issue directly.

So she decided to just deal with it later. She ignored Fū's gaze on her throughout the whole wrestling performance. It felt like the girl knew something that Naori didn't or something to that effect.

It annoyed her immensely.

"Hey, Naori," Fū said as she turned to her teammate and laid a hand on Naori's shoulder, "You haven't said anything about the pure _art_ we just saw. Do you really have nothing to say?"

Naori stopped and she was about to speak when something seemed to click in her head. She dropped down to the floor of the hall they were in. She groaned as a splitting headache came over her without much warning.

"Are you okay?" Fū said as she knelt down next to Naori, "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," Naori managed to say as she struggled to her feet, but Naori felt a bit distracted by two immense beacons of...something in front of her. There were also many more faint beacons around them. It was only as she straightened up that she realised what the 'beacons' were.

Naruto and Fū.

It didn't take her long to realise that the beacons were actually the chakra signatures of the people around them. They hadn't attracted any attention in the busy hall so it was easy for her to associate the minuscule beacons with the civilians around her.

Their signatures were barely noticeable when compared to the enormity of Naruto and Fū's signatures. It was hard to tell who had more. The only thing she could compare it to was looking up at two mountains towering into the sky from their base.

All she could tell was that they had a _lot_ of chakra.

"–Naori!" Naruto snapped his fingers in front of her face and just like that the beacons all vanished, "You spaced out...do you need some air?"

"I did? Sorry," Naori said before closing her eyes to recentre herself, "I could do with some fresh air. Let's go."

Naori ignored Naruto and Fū's confusion as they made way for the exit. Thankfully, they held off on asking any questions until they were under the night sky. The cool air did wonders to calm her down and soon she felt just about as good as normal.

The hotel was located right in the heart of the leisure section of Shirai and there were multiple restaurants and open-air bars adjacent to it. Naori was about to explain what had happened inside when a fight broke out on the street.

It was a four-on-two situation and it seemed like the four were all a part of some mercenary group. That instantly put Team 11 on edge.

"You think you can take on the Devils?" said the leader of the four mercenaries pulling back his sleeve to show a sprawling red tattoo, "We'll kill you, your stupid friend and your family if you don't get out of here!"

Thankfully, the two men who were outnumbered were not stupid and they took running causing the four mercs to laugh uproariously.

"That's what happens when you don't show the Red Devils the respect they deserve," the man said his speech rather slurred.

He was drunk.

"Let's get out of here," Naruto said as he pulled on Naori and Fū's arms, "We need to get out of here. Now."

* * *

The casino was even more packed than they had left it and all that meant was it was going to be a tall order to find Jiraiya and Nobu. Naruto was about to suggest they split up when Naori pulled him and Fū forward.

"Come on," Naori said with her teeth gritted, "I know where sensei is."

Naruto looked at Fū who could only shrug before they followed Naori through the throngs of people in the casino. Naori did not even take a second to look around as she just kept weaving and ducking through the crowds.

Weird.

Naruto bit back any biting words, though as this was a serious situation. It was no coincidence that the Red Dragons were here in Shirai too. They were obviously after the money Naruto had fleeced from Kurzawa.

Maybe he should have just killed Kurzawa. Naruto wasn't naive. He would eventually have to kill. It was a part of being a shinobi. There was just something wrong about killing someone who was already down. It was just... cruel.

And not doing that was probably about to bite him in the ass.

Finally, Naruto spotted Jiraiya. His hair making him stick out amongst the crowd. It was probably also the pervert's clothes and general demeanour that made him stick out too. No one dressed like that let alone in public.

His team finally stopped close to Jiraiya and Naruto was a bit worried when he saw Naori clutch her head. That worry faded into surprise when he saw her hand glow a soft green.

_Naori_ knew medical ninjutsu? Talk about a mismatch. That was like Naruto enjoying long walks in flower fields or something.

Naori seemed to straighten up after a few seconds and she appeared to be fully out of the daze she had been in earlier. Naruto turned back to Jiraiya who was still paying attention to whatever stupid game Nobu was playing.

"Sensei," Naruto said with a tinge of urgency in his voice, "We need to talk."

Jiraiya turned away from the table and took in the looks on his students' faces. His face settled into a serious gaze that Naruto had only ever seen during their talk weeks ago.

"What's wrong?"

Naruto filled him on the altercation that the Red Dragons had caused outside the hotel. He also explained the way Naori seemed to be just a little out of it. To Jiraiya's credit, he seemed to take everything they told him seriously as he soaked up every detail.

"Okay, we need to get out of here now," Jiraiya said surprising Naruto a little bit, "There's only one way to the capital from here and that's probably where they will try to ambush us. I doubt it's ready so I'm going to send a toad to scout it out. Nobu, the team is escorting you to your room now. The show's over."

It was a lot more proactive than Naruto had expected his sensei to be, but Jiraiya probably would not have gotten so strong if he dismissed every threat he faced. It was that or they had a genuine reason to be wary of the Red Dragons.

Someone like Jiraiya probably knew a whole lot about criminal organisations. If he reacted with such swiftness and seriousness then there probably was something that they did not know.

They left the casino with a jubilant Nobu who was flush with cash, but mightily unaware of the danger he may be in. It was for the best if they told him away from prying eyes. They had no real way of telling who in the crowd was a part of the Red Dragons.

The elevator ride to the top was filled with a tense silence. Jiraiya seemed to be deep in thought and Fū's very body seemed to be extremely tense. Naori, on the other hand, was a complete mystery to Naruto.

Fū was an open book to Naruto. He knew what to say to appease her for the time being so that their somewhat repaired relationship did not regress. Naori just confused him. One moment they're joking, the next she ignores them completely, the next she acts surprisingly nice.

It was exhausting.

Hopefully, once this was all said and done the three of them could just clear the air between them. That would probably make for better missions and less awkward elevator rides.

Finally, the elevator stopped on their floor and they made their way to their rooms. They got to the hallway where their rooms were located and Jiraiya turned to his team.

"Go pack your stuff and meet here in five minutes," Jiraiya said his tone firm as steel, "I'll help Nobu. Seal all your stuff in Naruto's scrolls. We need to be able to move lightly. Get ready for a fight too."

The team split up and as Naruto sealed away his belongings he felt a kernel of nervous energy begin to form inside of him. This mission was going sideways rather quickly.

Naruto could only hope things did not get worse than they already were.

* * *

Team 11 were sitting in Nobu's room in silence as they awaited further instructions from Jiraiya. The man had summoned a toad, which had piqued Naruto's interest, and sent it out to do some scouting.

That had been about an hour ago. They had spent the majority of the time since then going over escape routes and contingency plans. There was one large road leading out of Shirai, but that road later split into multiple ones.

One of those splits led to the Fire capital and the other led to a Konoha outpost. The outpost was further away, but they were likely to receive assistance sooner if they went that way.

Jiraiya didn't expect there to be any shinobi, but that was obviously not a guarantee. As it stood, the plan was for them to get the hell out of dodge while Jiraiya took care of any business.

That plan did not quite sit right with Naruto. Sure, his sensei could probably beat anyone put in front of him, but tucking tail and running just felt a bit wrong to him. Jiraiya could take care of himself, but weren't teams meant to stick with each other?

Naruto shook his head to dispel that thought. It stung his pride a bit to admit, but they would probably only get in the way. They were nowhere near his level as it stood. The best way they could help was to allow him to go all out without having to look out for them.

There was a tapping at the window and Jiraiya rose to his feet before opening the window. A blue toad jumped in and landed in the centre of the room. Jiraiya closed the window before returning to his seat.

"What have you got for me Gamazuru?" Jiraiya said causing the toad to let out a low croak before speaking.

"The kid was right," Gamazuru said referring to Naruto, "There's a bunch of Red Dragons in there. Probably around thirty. There might be more in town. Their leader probably wants that money back real bad."

Nobu let out a nervous cough before dabbing at his head with a cloth. Naruto did feel bad for Nobu. It was probably hard being a civilian in a world of shinobi. Hell, it was hard being a shinobi in a world of shinobi.

Not everyone could become an S-rank ninja after all.

"What about shinobi?" Jiraiya said as he crossed his arms, "The Red Dragons should have a few shinobi in their ranks. How many did you spot?"

"Four," Gamazuru said causing Naruto to grit his hand, "They're strong. I couldn't get too close, but I could sense their chakra. They're probably jounin. At least three of them are. One has about the same as the Uchiha over there."

Naori looked somewhat surprised at being mentioned causing Jiraiya to speak up.

"I think you have the ability to sense chakra," Jiraiya said confirming the suspicions his team held, "Gamazuru can do the same and it's pretty useful to gauge how strong a shinobi is, but it's not infallible."

"Yeah," Gamazuru said to Naori, "Your teammates, especially the boy, have a whole lot of chakra. More than this old geezer to boot. It's probably‐"

Jiraiya swept Gamazuru up and covered his mouth, "Ignore him. He gets a little crazy when he's hungry. Nobu and I are going to have a little chat in the bedroom. Once we're done, we move out."

Naruto had to stop from rolling his eyes at Jiraiya's sloppy cover-up as he and Nobu went into the master bedroom. Fū and Naori would most definitely be suspicious of that. Knowing the pervert, he had done it to put pressure on Naruto to reveal his secret.

If Naori really could sense chakra then she likely knew Naruto had a shit ton of chakra. And now Fū knew as well. So that was just _awesome._

He probably had an out though. He could blame it on being an Uzumaki and hope his teammates buy that or just never bring it up. Apparently, Fū had a whole lot of chakra herself. If Naruto was lucky, they'd chalk it down to the luck of the draw.

That did not seem likely, however, as Naruto could practically taste Fū and Naori's curiosity. Naruto did his best to act natural, but he could not help sagging in relief when Jiraiya and a more composed Nobu walked out the master bedroom.

"Let's go."

* * *

Fū had to admit that it was a bit surreal to willingly walk into an ambush.

Her sensei had been adamant in checking out the hotel and walking out the front of the hotel. They took it a step further by walking past a group of Red Dragons outside a bar.

A fair amount of them were intoxicated, but some were sober enough to recognise just who their sensei was and who his client was. It's not like Jiraiya was hard to place or anything. Especially in Hi no Kuni.

They took something of a languid walk to the exit road with a few stops and detours. Her sensei hadn't explained it to any of them, nevertheless, they went along with his plan. Even Nobu who still looked a bit nervous, but ultimately resigned to his fate.

Fū could only guess that her sensei was hoping to disrupt the plans of whoever was in the forest by parading his presence around the town. The ambush would probably only be set in a few hours and having to swap plans abruptly and for an S-rank ninja to boot would likely cause some disruption amongst the ranks.

And that was without the drunk idiots thrown into the equation.

Finally, they made it to the road leading outside of Shirai. It led into a hulking forest after about two hundred metres and Fū knew from her mission scroll that it stretched on for miles.

It was wider than it was long, but it would still take them over twenty minutes at full speed. They obviously could not go full speed with Nobu in tow so that only worsened matters.

"Be on red alert," Jiraiya whispered, "Stick with Nobu no matter what. Protect him at all costs and do not split up."

That was the last advice they were given before they walked into the gloomy forest. The road was a bit narrower in here as Fū saw Naori and Naruto try to readjust their positions on either side of Nobu.

Jiraiya was leading the formation and Fū felt her heart race as he called for a stop. Fū had to crane her neck, but she saw what the problem was.

A crowd of around 20 bandits stood about twenty metres away. Their bodies were illuminated by the moonlight, but even then their chattering and gleaming swords were a dead giveaway.

"Archers!" shouted one of the Dragons, "Fire!"

Fū was about to prepare a ninjutsu(a move mimicked by Naori and Naruto) but they were beaten to the punch by their sensei. A volley of arrows was launched at them, but Jiraiya blazed through handseals before slamming his hands to the ground.

"Doton: Doryuheki! (Earth Release: Earth Style Wall)"

A wall of rock burst from the ground at an angle providing cover for them all. A series of thuds echoed out as the arrows slammed into the wall. Jiraiya did not seem bothered as he whispered a command.

"Naruto, Naori. Sun Pillar!"

* * *

Naruto only spared a momentary glance at Naori before starting his handseals. The earth wall was still up, but just as they both finished their handseals the wall dropped into the ground.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Great Fire Ball)"

"Fūton: Sankousen! (Wind Release: Tribeam)"

A large ball of fire and a tunnel of wind was launched from Naori and Naruto respectively. They just missed Jiraiya before they merged into each other. The fireball grew rapidly in size as Naruto's Sankousen fed it more fuel.

The fireball brightened to a dazzling yellow before losing its shape as it morphed into a wave of flames. The Dragons let out screams of horror and it was then and only then that Naruto realised they had fired a lethal jutsu at actual people.

The firestorm washed over the group of bandits and the shrieks of pain and horror echoed throughout the forest. The flames tickled Naruto's skin from this far away showing how hot the flames were. Naruto stared in slight horror and unease as Dragons ran and failed around their bodies wrapped in flames.

The Dragons did their best to escape the punishing flames. They could not remove their clothes as they had already melted to their skin. They could not roll on the floor because it was already wreathed in flames. All they could do was scream and wait for death.

Naruto so distracted he was barely able to hear Jiraiya's voice. Naruto only had time to see one large object flying towards them before he obeyed his sensei's fervent order.

"Scatter!"

Naruto jumped up and Naori mirrored his actions as they landed on a thick tree branch overhead. Fū and Jiraiya(with Nobu in tow) had gone the opposite route and had stuck to the ground opting to leap back several metres

A tall man appeared next to the sword in a Shunshin and Naruto was surprised to hear Naori curse. He turned towards his teammate and saw her face was set in a grimace.

"You know that guy?" Naruto said and while the sword felt vaguely familiar he only placed it once Naori identified the man.

"That's Zabuza Momochi," Naori said as she watched the man remove his sword from the ground, "A-rank nukenin from Kiri. He tried to kill the Yondaime Mizukage."

"I'm impressed, girl," Zabuza said clearly overhearing their conversation, "I didn't expect a genin to be able to pick me out. Is that why you're being taught by Jiraiya of the Sannin? Your village must see something special in you."

Naori didn't respond and instead glared down at Zabuza. That only seemed to amuse further as he let out a hearty laugh before turning back towards Jiraiya.

"Get out of here, Momochi," Jiraiya said rising to his full height, "You can't take me on."

"I don't know about that," Zabuza said as he stuck his sword in the ground, "You're getting a bit up there. What are you 55? 60? There's no way you can protect your team and your client and beat us."

"Us?" Naruto murmured under his breath before a flash of light drew his attention. Naruto was able to get his right tonfa out and parry a thrust from a masked shinobi.

The masked shinobi was holding a large needle in both their hands. He or she looked like a hunter-nin from Kiri and seemed unfazed by their sneak attack failing. Naruto pushed back with his tonfa before going for a leg sweep.

The hunter-nin jumped into the air and fired a barrage of needles at Naruto. He dodged them an was about to attack, but he was pulled back suddenly by Naori. The hunter-nin tool that as their out and Naruto raised a brow as he disappeared into a mirror.

What the hell?

"We need to get Nobu out of here," Naori said snapping Naruto out of his daze before pointing with her head towards the rest of their team and Zabuza.

Two shinobi, one man and one woman, stood on either side of Fū and Jiraiya. The woman was holding a few needles in both of her hands whilst the man had a sword that looked like it was made of light. The bow shone a deep red that along with flames a little distance away.

The key difference between them and Zabuza as well as that hunter-nin had to be the Konoha Anbu uniform they were wearing. Naruto felt a cold sweat form on his neck as he realised just how outgunned they were.

"Towa Nakamura and Komachi Tozawa," Jiraiya said as he eyed the two missing-nin, "Former Anbu of Konoha. Tell me. Did Kagura know I was gonna be here or is it just your luck?"

"That doesn't matter," said the woman who Naruto took to be Komachi, "I heard in the pipeline, Nobu-san over there recently came into some money. Unless you want the death of Konoha's primary shinobi clothier on your hands, I'd suggest you turn him over."

Nobu was that important? It certainly explained why he had so much money to burn. It didn't do much to calm Naruto's nerves as the stakes only seemed to get higher.

This mission was going just great.

A bit out of the blue, Naori seemed to twitch and she turned her head down the road. She was facing away from Shirai and her face seemed to have settled into one of concern.

"We have incoming," Naori said unknowingly drawing the attention of everyone else, "20? No, it's more than that. Nearly 40 I think."

That was a lot. Naruto doubted he and Naori would get another chance at a combination jutsu and even Naruto knew that sheer numbers could fell anyone.

"Guys, take Nobu and get out of here," Jiraiya said his tone leaving no room for argument as he began to speed through handseals, "Don't stop until you're in the Capitol."

"Katon: Endan! (Fire Release: Fire Bullet)"

Jiraiya fired the blast of fire towards Zabuza who dodged to the side. The flaming bullet zipped last Zabuza before slamming into the ground. Towa and Komachi took that as their chance to attack as they leapt at Jiraiya.

However, they were repelled as Jiraiya's hair lengthened rapidly and whipped through the air. Fū didn't waste a second. She grabbed onto Nobu before her wings grew out her back.

She flew away from the danger zone and was just barely able to avoid Zabuza's slash with his sword. Naori and Naruto followed after Fū immediately as they left their sensei behind with three A-rank missing-nin. Naruto forced himself to stamp down on the feeling of guilt as he left Jiraiya to his fate.

The feeling of guilt did not last long.

"Doton: Doryūsō! (Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears)"

Jiraiya's voice bellowed out the name of his jutsu before the sound of trees crashing and falling echoed around them. Naruto chanced a look back and he saw enormous spikes of earth jutting out the ground behind them.

It was probably for the best that they left Jiraiya behind. He could really cut loose now.

* * *

Naruto and Naori were hopping through the trees as they followed Fū through the forest. She had flown above the canopy to have an easier time flying, but that resulted in her being somewhat difficult to spot.

The only way they were able to see her was the luminescent glow that her wings had. They seemed to be leaving behind a trail of glowing dust that was equal parts fortunate and unfortunate.

It made keeping a bead on Fū extremely easy for them, but it also made keeping a bead on Fū extremely easy for their enemies. They were coming up on the group that Naori had sensed earlier and this time they didn't have their sensei to bail them out if things went sideways.

"Get ready for another Sun Pillar," Naori said to him her black eyes focused straight ahead, "We're almost on top of them."

"Got it."

Fū was too far away for them to get the attention of without drawing even more attention to themselves. If they could blow through this group of mercenaries then they would hopefully be able to catch up with Fū.

Fū couldn't keep her wings on indefinitely and it would be for the best if they were there for her when she ran out of juice. If they failed to do that then they might as well go back to Konoha.

No civilian would be able to survive such a high fall.

Naruto could hear the sound of boots on the ground and he assumed it was the mercenary group making headway for Jiraiya. They were moving rather quickly all things considered.

At their current speed, they would make it to their sensei in about 10 minutes which was about five times the amount of time, Team 11 had been tree hopping for.

"Drop to the ground," Naruto jumped down and he didn't bother to check if Naori had followed suit. She landed just after him and they continued their sprint on the ground. Aside from the noise of the mercs up ahead, Naruto could hear the sound of a flowing river.

It was fairly close to the path and was a strong reason for why these woods were popular amongst travellers. The river spanned the entire forest and was apparently filled with life king for easy food.

"Naruto," Naori's tone held an undercurrent of warning in it and he looked up ahead to see the gaggle of mercenaries about thirty metres away. They slid to a stop and Naruto cursed as his sandals stopped right in a puddle.

The mercenaries seem to have seen them at about the same time. A lead Dragon with a bald head seemed to stare at Naruto in particular before giving the order to charge.

It made for a rather intimidating sight, but Naori and Naruto ignored it as they moulded chakra for their respective jutsu. They finished in near-perfect synchronicity before aiming their jutsu at the Red Dragons.

"Fūton: Sankousen! (Wind Release: Tribeam)"

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Great Fire Ball)"

Naruto beat Naori to the punch as he fired a tunnel of wind towards the foolish mercenaries. He expected to see Naori's fireball follow soon after, but all of a sudden things seemed to go to hell.

The hunter-nin from earlier appeared out of a mirror and, in a display of pure speed, landed an uppercut to Naori's chin. This caused her fireball to instead be sent into the canopy above setting it ablaze.

The hunter-nin pressed his advantage as he delivered quick strikes to Naori before knocking her away with a kick. Naruto was about to help her but he aborted that plan when he saw that the mercenaries had continued their charge.

Shit.

"Fūton: Daitoppa! (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)"

A wide blast of wind was fired from Naruto's mouth that sent a chunk of the charging force sprawling across the floor and some unlucky few into trees. However, about half were up almost immediately and they charged Naruto.

Second time lucky?

"Fūton: Daitoppa! (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)"

Naruto amped up the amount of chakra he used and he ignored the strain of his lungs as he fired the boosted wind jutsu. The volume of the wind was as if an exploding tag went off right in his ears as he aimed the Daitoppa at the hapless mercenaries.

This time people were sent through the air and also through trees. Naruto's tenketsu burned as he strained them, but he ignored that as he scanned for any that were still standing after being hit with two powerful blasts of wind.

There were none, at least for the time being, and so Naruto took out two kunai before wrapping explosive tags around them. Naruto took a deep breath before steeling himself.

At least it would be quick.

He threw the kunai towards the downed Dragons and there was a cacophony of screams as they realised the tags were burning down. Moments before the tags exploded, however, Naruto heard two things.

The sound of water being kicked up and Naori's voice screaming his name.

"Naruto! Watch out!"

Naruto turned and he barely caught sight of a gauntlet headed for his face. He caught the arm of his assailant (who was wearing some awful clothes topped off by a slashed Kiri forehead protector) by the crook of his arm before footsteps behind him caught his attention.

An almost exact copy of the first man was approaching Naruto as he lunged forward with a gauntlet of his own. Kiri was officially Naruto's second most-hated village.

Taki was still the worst.

Naruto threw the first man to his partner and no sooner than he did, both of the tags exploded violently.

* * *

Jiraiya stayed completely still as he stood with his back to one of the rock spikes he had summoned earlier. The jutsu had done a masterful job of splitting everyone up, but that advantage had not lasted all that long.

Zabuza had used his Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Jutsu) to blanket their surroundings in a thick mist. Jiraiya was barely able to see his own feet let alone track three shinobi extremely skilled in stealth.

It wasn't impossible, but it was a pain in the ass.

A sharp whistling sound drew his attention and Jiraiya leapt away from his cover. It was no moment too soon. Zabuza had appeared by his previous spot and had cut the rock spire clean in half with minimal effort.

That sword was _sharp_.

Jiraiya lost track of Zabuza once again as the mist reformed having been dispelled by both his and Zabuza's rapid movements. Jiraiya tried to sound where the others were, but there was no need as a hail of needles were sent at him from various directions.

Komachi.

She had to have been using shadow clones. He also had no idea where Towa, but it didn't matter. It was time to go fishing. Luckily for Jiraiya, Towa and Zabuza seemed to think they had trapped him.

Children, these days...

Towa and Zabuza had charged right into the fray even as Komachi's needles converged on them. Towa had a katana made of light and Zabuza had his sword at the ready.

"Hari Jizo! (Needle Jizo)"

Jiraiya's hair grew to cover and wrap around his body. The strands of hair sharpened and it was enough to make Towa and Zabuza retreat. Komachi's needles bounced off of his protective jutsu and Jiraiya couldn't help, but smile a bit.

"You call that an attack?" Jiraiya chuckled as he heard Zabuza and Towa slow to a stop, "This is an attack!"

"Hari Jigoku! (Needle Hell)"

Sharpened spikes of hair flew in all directions from Jiraiya's position. The spikes tore straight through the branches, rocks and everything around them. The sound of shadow clones being dispelled reached his ears as well as loud curses.

The mist gradually began to fade and under the bright moonlight, Jiraiya was able to take scope of the damage he had dealt. The earthen spikes he had conjured earlier were littered with tiny holes and so was everything around him.

It took a while to find everyone and the first one that he did find was Komachi on the ground nearby. Her clothes were littered with punctures, blood oozing from the spikes still lodged across her torso and legs.

Her armour had obviously done a lot to blunt the impact. Usually, the spikes would have flown straight through her. Also, her arms were crossed in front of her face, the braces protecting that face that Jiraiya regrettably had to beat into the ground.

Zabuza was in much worse shape. His sword lay on the ground having dropped from his hands. He had no armour on and it was easy to see where the spikes had flown straight through his shirtless body. He had fallen to his knees causing the ground to drive the spikes in his legs deeper.

A flash of red light caught Jiraiya's attention and he sighed as he saw that Towa had gotten off without a scratch. The man was in the treetops and had summoned a tall red shield that had completely halted the needles in their tracks leaving him unharmed.

Stupid chakra projection seals.

That chakra shield was good at stopping piercing Hari Jigoku was also one of Jiraiya's fastest attacks. He couldn't dare use that around his team. They'd look like him after Shizune had caught him engaging in his hobbies.

Stupid senbon launchers.

"Well, "Jiraiya said as he let out a breath, "You guys weren't that bad. I'm wanted by all countries except this one for a reason... I mean I'm pretty sure Kakashi could have dealt with you guys easily. And he has one eye!"

Let it never be said that Jiraiya was above gloating.

Jiraiya looked between his three assailants and he realised Zabuza was closest to him and the most vulnerable. Followed by Komachi then Towa who had put a surprising amount of distance between him and the attack.

It was clear to Jiraiya that neither Towa nor Komachi cared all too much about Zabuza. He had probably been hired by Kagura to provide muscle once they'd heard the mighty Jiraiya was in town.

If anything, from the way Towa kept glancing towards Komachi, Jiraiya was certain there was something a little more...physical going on between the two. Jiraiya fought the urge to smirk as he looked between Zabuza and Komachi.

Neither of them would be able to move. He just had to pick his target and if Jiraiya was being honest there was no real choice. With a flourish and quick spin, a brace of kunai was sent flying at Komachi.

The injured Anbu was barely able to move and as Jiraiya saw Towa rush towards Komachi. He made his move. His sandals cracked rapidly off the ground as he sprinted towards the static Zabuza.

There was a large explosion off in the distance and Jiraiya knew he had to make his shot count. He heard the sound of the kunai he had launched pegging into the ground _around_ both Towa and Komachi.

Perfect.

All while closing in on Zabuza, Jiraiya raised his left hand into a half-seal. The tags attached to the kunai around Towa and Komachi began to glow a bright blue startling both Anbu.

"Kekkai: Heiseikai!(Barrier: Closed World)"

A white, translucent barrier formed around both Anbu. That's what Towa got for being rash. If he hadn't been so worried for his partner/bed-buddy he'd have seen the trajectory of the kunai were off.

Of course, Jiraiya could have activated the other seals carved into the metal of the kunai, but that would make transporting their bodies rather difficult. That was what exploding kunai tended to do to bodies after all.

Jiraiya turned his attention back the lone Kiri-borne shinobi here. He reared his right hand back and chakra began to spiral in his hand before forming into a slowly growing sphere. A whirring sound echoed through the night as Jiraiya launched his arm forward.

To his credit, Zabuza did not seem to flinch once even with all the hair needles launched in his tendons, organs, face and spine. His expression remained the same as he stared Jiraiya down right until the end.

"Rasengan!"

The spiralling sphere of chakra ground and cut deep into Zabuza with ease. It ate away at Zabuza's chest before Jiraiya sent a pulse of chakra into the sphere causing it to destabilise.

Zabuza's eyes widened and a scream was ripped from him before the Rasengan exploded all while still grinding away at Zabuza. Blood and guts flew through the air as the Rasengan punched its way straight through Zabuza.

The Demon of the Mist was sent flying into the trunk of a nearby tree. The tree cracked and groaned from the impact before it fell to the ground with a loud boom.

Jiraiya held back a grimace as he took out a scroll and sealed Zabuza's body as well as his sword into it. Konoha would probably fetch a healthy sum for both the body and the sword – Kiri would likely give up an arm and leg for it.

Come to think of it, so would their rebels...

Jiraiya put that out of his mind as he looked at the captured Anbu. The Heiseikai would trap someone inside a sterile field that the caster could control. It was usually for emergency operations in the field or for special forging as the castor could control every aspect of the barrier.

In the hands of a master like Jiraiya, the barrier's capabilities were stretched even further.

Jiraiya went through a chain of handseals as he synched his chakra to the barrier. Towa was fussing over Komachi, who was still hurt by Jiraiya's attack, and so he was able to catch them off guard.

He finished his handseals off with a clap and it was as if a storm had burst into the barrier. Strands of lightning washed over every inch of the barrier for a few seconds before fading away slowly. The attack hadn't been lethal and its sole purpose was to knock the two Anbu out.

The lightning disappeared entirely and Jiraiya cursed as he looked inside the barrier. Komachi was covered in scorch marks and was definitely unconscious, but Towa was nowhere to be seen. The only hints to where he had gone was a faint cloud of smoke.

Shadow clone.

Towa had left the immediate area long ago and was probably headed straight for Jiraiya's genin. To Jiraiya's shame, his arrogance had been his downfall, but there was time for brooding later.

He had to save his team.

* * *

The exploding tags had been both a blessing and a curse.

The twin explosions had knocked everybody away and ha surely attracted the attention of anyone in the vicinity. The shockwaves had combined to send Naruto, Naori and their opponents sailing in different directions.

Naruto had stumbled on the two missing-nin from Kiri and they called themselves the Demon Brothers which was rather self-indulgent. Their actual names were Gozu and Meizu and Gozu and Meizu were currently rather vexed at the moment.

"Stay still!" Gozu shouted even as blood dripped from his forehead. His headband nowhere to be seen. Naruto ignored the man's taunts as he weaved around the man's strikes.

Naruto heard footsteps behind him, just like before the explosion, but this time he was wise to the danger. He dashed away from the two brothers causing them to nearly collide into each other. Gozu seemed to be stumbling whilst Meizu was still in good shape.

Naruto's tonfa had been sent flying, but luckily he had a quick fix for that. Naruto bit into his thumb and summoned his tonfa to him. He held them long-side out again and with a pulse of chakra, the blades inside his tonfa came out the front-end.

Gozu and Meizu still seemed a bit wary, but they charged at Naruto regardless. Their gauntlet gleaming underneath the moonlight. Naruto channelled wind chakra into the blades, unbeknownst to the brothers, and he lashed out with a spinning, diagonal strike at them.

Meizu got a somewhat deep cut across his chest and just barely got out of the way. Gozu hadn't been so lucky. His movements were far less crisp than before and Naruto was reasonably sure it had to do with his head wound.

Naruto's second tonfa followed in the wake of his first and the wind-chakra boosted blade cut through Gozu's gauntlet as well as his arm. Blood sprayed from the wound as Gozu shrieked in horror.

It wasn't a clean cut, the wind chakra shroud had been jagged and it looked just plain awful. Naruto had to suppress a gag as Meizu charged at him with bloodlust in his eyes.

Before he could even get close enough to strike Naruto, he met a similar fate as his brother. His gauntleted arm clanged off the ground and both men fell to their knees.

Blood spurted across the floor from their jagged wounds and this time Naruto couldn't quite suppress his gag. The world got reintroduced to his earlier meal as he puked all over the floor. Some popcorn kernels were swimming in the mess which just made Naruto add to the pile of gunk.

By the time, he had recovered, both Gozu and Meizu were dead. Their bodies still and their faces contorted in pain. Killing was different from so close up. It seemed more...cruel.

Naruto was vaguely aware of the people he and Naori had burnt as well as the ones who had been ripped apart by the tags, but that had been far away from them. This was far closer and a lot more intimate.

Naruto slapped himself on the cheek as he realised he was still on a mission. That hunter-nin was way more of a threat than the Demon Brothers. Naori would probably need his help.

Naruto began to make his way back the way he had come from. The fires spreading around the forest and the fallen trees making it easy to retrace his steps.

He soon reached the site of the explosion and the taste of bile was like a spike at the back of his throat. There were limbs and body parts scattered across the forest floor and Naruto knew it had come been his and only his doing.

How many people did he kill today?

Naruto wasn't sure if he wanted the answer to that.

Naruto forced himself to ignore the carnage around him as he looked for a hint of where Naori had gone. It was a lot harder to find Naori than expected, however. Naruto presumed Naori and her opponent hadn't been sent too far away, but he had no real way of knowing.

He began to roam the surrounding area keeping his eyes peeled for a hunter-nin or a particularly arrogant and annoying Uchiha.

"The whole clan qualifies then," Naruto said under his breath allowing himself to laugh at his own joke.

That was how you knew your jokes were really good.

Not for the first time, he wished he had an enhanced way of moving around like Fū and Naori. They could cover a lot more ground than he could if they flew or used the Shunshin. Naruto was fast, but even he knew that he was far outstripped in that department.

Just as he had been about to give up hope, he heard a loud scream. To Naruto's horror, it sounded just like _Fū's_ voice. She had to have come back for them instead of continuing to the capitol.

Damnit.

At least he knew where his teammates were now. Naruto sprinted full steam ahead even as a sense of foreboding fell over him. He only hoped he could make it on time.

* * *

"You're so annoying," Naori said as she had both her fans fully extended, "Do you have a name?"

The hunter-nin tilted his(her?) head as he stared at Naori. Neither of them had gotten much of an inch either way. Naori had tried to run after Naruto, but the hunter-nin had thwarted all of her efforts.

Naori truly wanted nothing more than to melt that mask onto what was surely one hell of an ugly face. She had just been able to stay ahead of all the senbon due to the copious cover, the woods provided, but that had changed as they reached the river.

There were quite a few less trees here and Naori had been forced to resort to using the Shunshin more times than she liked. It was beginning to take a toll and Naori knew she had to limit her usage of it.

"My name is Haku," the hunter-nin said as he drew out more senbon, "I am Zabuza-sama's weapon. I am at his beck and call to destroy whatever stands in his way. That is my duty."

The amount of pride Haku seemed to take in his declaration was disconcerting. Naori was aware that shinobi were meant to serve their Kage, but Haku's fervour was similar to only the most ardent and zealous Uchiha that Naori knew. It was almost, no, it was definitely fanatic.

And no one liked fanatics.

"I don't really care," Naori said and she was forced to dodge a storm of senbon from Haku. Her fans came into handy as she was able to use them to slap away the few that got a bit too close.

Naori had been adamant to use warfans despite lacking a wind affinity. They worked best with wind chakra and that was just the truth. Naruto could probably use them with ease.

However, Naruto had decided on tonfa which were well-suited to earth users. Earth chakra allowed users to increase the blunt force damage as well as the resilience of their weapons.

Naruto had sorta got around this by attaching blades allowing him to still use his wind chakra with his tonfa. It was ingenious, Naori allowed herself to admit, but Naruto was far from the only one to have made do with what they had.

Naori channelled fire chakra into the fabric of her warfans and she felt a comforting heat begin to radiate from the weapons. Haku was cautious, but he stayed still, waiting until Naori had attacked before reacting.

Idiot.

"Katon: Garyū! (Fire Release: Dragon's Fang)"

Naori swung her fan and an arc of fire was launched at Haku. The arc was about seven feet in length and it sped across the gap between Haku and Naori. Haku tried to avoid it, but his leg was caught by the swift attack.

The arc of fire smashed into a nearby tree and exploded in a burst of flames. Haku had landed on the surface of the river and his wounded foot was dipped into the cool water.

Whatever, Naori would just get him again she fired a flurry of fire arcs at Haku and despite the drain on her chakra, Naori knew she had cornered the Kiri-nin...until she hadn't.

Haku went through a series of one-handed seals before a surge of water rose to surround him. The flaming arcs were extinguished as they met with the water and Naori could not help, but feel a bit foolish. The water fell back to the lake revealing Haku who seemed nonplussed by it all.

Stupid mask.

_Of course_, the Land of Water native could use water jutsu.

Haku didn't appear to be done as he sent through another set of handseals and for the first time in her life, Naori was able to detect the chakra being used for a jutsu. Usually, one had to be very close to someone to sense it and even then the jutsu had to be rather strong too.

It was theorised that humans were around for a lot longer than chakra had and so their bodies were not innately aware of chakra. The only exceptions tended to be the chakra of powerful shinobi and tailed beasts.

The water around Haku surged and tens, no, hundreds of water needles were launched at Naori. A curse escaped her mouth and she hesitated for a moment before using a Shunshin to avoid the attack.

There were two problems with her having done that, though. One, her reserves had taken yet another hit and she was operating at maybe forty per cent, but probably closer to thirty. Two, her Shunshin could only go in straight lines and there had only been one escape route she could have taken.

It led directly to the water.

It happened quickly. A torrent of water rose all around Naori before in a surprising twist, it _froze_ into a dome of mirrors. There were no gaps whatsoever as the mirrors fit together like some sort of puzzle.

Things went from bad to worse as Haku appeared in all of the mirrors and he was holding a shocking amount of senbon in both his hands. His head tilted slightly and his voice echoed off the walls of his icy contraption.

"This is the Hyoton (Ice Release)," Haku said his voice sounding a touch melancholic, "The bloodline of the Yuki clan and also the reason we were hunted like mice. Bloodline holders are–"

Naori had no intention of listening to Haku's spiel. Her chakra was slowly running out the longer she stood on the water and honestly she couldn't care less. She launched a Goukakyuu at the side of the dome facing her.

The temperature inside the dome rose considerably and the water below her began to bubble as the fireball smashed into the ice wall. However, it was all for nought as the ice stood firm against the fire.

And that made no sense at all.

"I see you don't care for my story," Haku said his voice as cold as the ice he controlled, "Very well. You fought well."

There was a finality in Haku's tone that set Naori off. She was right to be wary as she saw a blur bounce from mirror to mirror and all the while launch wave after wave after wave of senbon at her.

Naori had limited space to work with and that compounded with the general fatigue she was feeling and Haku had a recipe for disaster. The first hits weren't the worst, Naori thought, she could handle pain reasonably well and it's not like these were kunai.

No, it was the ones that followed that made things difficult. Naori knew from her medical training that Haku was specifically targeting nerve bundles and tendons. This not only exacerbated the pain Naori felt, but she was slowing down as time went on.

Finally, Haku managed to connect with a barrage of senbon and Naori was forced to fall onto her hands and knees. This actually consumed less chakra than standard water-walking, but it was pointless.

This was the end of the line for her.

She'd never complete an actual mission or go to the Chuunin exams or eat with Mikoto. She'd never activate her Sharingan or actually gain real friends. Would Fū and Naruto even care that she was gone? She'd been bitchy for so long...

Worst of all, she'd never see her brother again. The biggest influence, negatively that was, on her life and a strong part of her motivation to become a kunoichi.

She'd do none of it.

Naori simply bowed her head as she accepted her fate and she didn't flinch even as she heard the whistling of senbon flying through the air. Naori recoiled as she felt a cold feeling spread across her body as she was pulled into death's cold embrace.

It felt...wet. And like she was being dragged by a shark or some other strong swimmer.

A burst of air entered her lungs and Naori realised she must be on the other side now. She was floating upwards and at least she could say she was going to heaven.

Although, She had always wondered what the death god looked like. From what she could see, he wore white. A lot of it. He had these weird membrane wings and green hair and orange eyes–

Wait.

"Fū?" Naori said as her mind caught up, "W-what are you doing h-here? N-nobu..."

"Is down there," Fū said pointing towards the shore where a somewhat scared Nobu was hidden behind a tree, "I heard the explosions and then the fire spread and I couldn't leave you guys. I didn't see Naruto because of the fires and the whole orange clothing and, well, that guy did make a scene with the water."

That guy? Naori turned to see Haku standing on top of his dome of mirrors. His mask was off revealing a face that was, disturbingly, prettier than hers. They were flying back towards Nobu and Napri turned towards Fū.

"Thanks for saving me," Naori said feeling completely drained, "I could seriously kiss you right now."

That drew Fū's attention as she looked down at Naori and her orange eyes were practically bulging as she stared down at Naori. However, Naori didn't get much time to enjoy Fū's embarrassment when they heard Nobu scream.

Naori cursed as she saw a gleaming red arrow sticking out of Nobu's stomach. The arrow dispersed into a shimmer of red sparks and Nobu fell facedown on the ground. It took them only a few seconds to

They landed opposite him and Naori cursed as she saw how Towa was in good shape. He must have slipped away from Jiraiya-sensei. The Anbu was holding a bow made of what Naori was sure was solid chakra as he stared at them.

Fū ran towards Nobu and began checking his vitals, however in doing so she had forgotten all about Towa and Haku. The former aimed his bow right at Fū who was fretting over Nobu.

Fuck.

Naori heard footsteps on water and she turned to see Haku sprinting towards them as well. He held two wicked-looking shards of ice in his hands that could only have one purpose.

Fū seemed to have closed off to the world entirely and Naori knew that the girl would not be able to react on time. Naori ignored the pain in her coils as her reserves dropped dangerously low.

The world blurred around her as she sped off in a Shunshin. She came to a stop in front of Nobu who was whispering something to Fū, but she ignored that as she threw herself in the way of the arrow.

The many needles that were still jammed in her body did not compare to the single arrow that was now lodged in her stomach. It was a hot and striking pain that Naori could not compare to anything she had ever felt before.

Her act of self-sacrifice seemed to have halted Haku in his tracks entirely. His face a picture of surprise. Fū had snapped out of her daze and she caught Naori as she began to fall forward.

"Naori? No, please–" Fū's voice was shaky and if Naori weren't so tired she'd say the green-haired girl had tears in her eyes. Why would anyone cry for her?

"I'm fine," Naori murmured as she raised her hand, "I-I can h-heal myself..."

Naori raised her hand and a green light flickered on and off before disappearing entirely. No chakra. It was fine she just had to go to sleep and it'd be fine.

"Don't go to sleep, Naori!" Fū begged as she lowered Naori to the ground.

Was she a mind reader? It was just a quick nap. The team would be better off without her. Fū and Naruto were already close and she'd finally get to see her family again.

That was nice.

Naori's world grew soft and blurry as she felt sleep overtake her. Fū's voice faded into a stream of nonsense that only pushed Naori closer to sleep. Finally, her eyes closed and she was momentarily roused from her sleep as she felt a sharp spike of chakra and Fū's voice cut through her daze.

Thankfully, Naori was still able to fall asleep thanks to the fire that had appeared. It had an unnatural feel to it and seemed to be alive. In fact, Naori's last thought before she fell asleep was that the fire sounded a lot like Fū even though it was a bit wavery.

"**I**'ll **k**ill **y**o**u**!"

* * *

**Jutsu List:**

**Kekkai: Heiseikai (Barrier: Closed World)**

**S-rank. A barrier used to create a sterile environment and often used by capable enough medical practitioners in and out of the field. The temperature, pressure, oxygen level, humidity etc. can be controlled by those who fully master this technique. It normally takes two to six people to cast this due to the complexity and, to a lesser extent, chakra cost. **

**Katon: Garyū** **(Fire Release: Dragon's Fang)**

**C-rank. An arc of fire is created through the use of fire chakra with a warfan. The arc travels very quickly and burns at a high temperature. The size of the arc depends on the amount of chakra fed into the Jutsu. **

* * *

**Author Notes:**

**I'm sorry this took so long. I had a spell of writer's block and also had to put out another chapter for Ascendants. This chapter was somewhat difficult to navigate, but in the end, I liked how it came out. Zabuza and two Anbu are good, but Jiraiya is great. If Hiruzen can wreck a hidden village on his own than Jiraiya can easily beat three A-ranks.**

**Of course, some stuff still went wrong and that's just life. Please tell me what you thought and I hope you guys are staying safe during the whole virus situation. I also hope the protests in the USA can reach a resolution. I try to never inject my political opinions into my writing, but the Black Lives Matter is something worth fighting for. It transcends race and is at its core about those with power versus those without. There are examples of bad people on both sides of this (as well as good people) but I think it's key to remember that the bad guys are the ones who are supposed to be put in line. I urge you to pay attention to what's going on and do your bit to fight the good fight whether it's a tweet or million-dollar donation, every single bit counts. This isn't an American issue, it's one everyone all over the world is facing.**

**Enough heavy stuff. I want to hear what you guys thought about this chapter. Side note, Towa and Komachi are from Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2. Also, I'd really love it if you guys could email the admins to add Naori Uchiha to the character list for Naruto. She's an actual character and it's driving me nuts that I can't add her name. **

**My PMs are always open or you can speak to me on Reddit at r/whiteleopard1124.**

**Until the next one.**


	8. Origins

**Voila. A new chapter.**

* * *

Naruto had pushed his body as fast as he could towards Fū's voice. The sheer volume of the scream did not fill with much confidence, but he shook it off as he flew through the branches of the towering trees all around.

He really needed to find a way to have boosted speed. His running speed exceeded his teammates' by quite a bit, but to Naruto's slight annoyance, they outstripped him with their flying and Shunshin.

It was probably due to some sort of twisted pride that Naruto would not ask his teammates for their techniques. He wanted a unique technique that no one else used. The Shunshin was fairly common, but Fū's flying was definitely not something Naruto did or would expect to see someone else do.

How did Fū do it anyways? Unless Naruto had been living under a mountain then there was no clan in Konoha capable of that. Did she really come up with it on her own?

The sound of wood exploding caught Naruto's attention and he rushed towards the sound. That had to have been his team. It only took about twenty seconds before Naruto landed in an area that had definitely seen some damage.

The first thing he noticed was that male Anbu. Towa if Naruto remembered correctly. The man stood across a river with his back towards Naruto. He looked a little worse for wear as he looked around him wildly. His clothes were turned to shreds, and he had bruises and cuts across his body.

Towa didn't seem to be all that affected by the pain, though which was amazing in its own right.

There was a roar from deeper within the woods causing Towa to flash through handseals. A giant ball of fire was sent into the woods just as a glowing orange figure burst into sight.

To Naruto's shock, the figure burst right through the fire before delivering a crunching kick to Towa's side. The man was sent flying and skipping towards the water before he sank underneath it.

The figure was shrouded in some sort of chakra cloak that seemed to have a life of its own. Naruto wondered who this new person was, but as if reading his mind, the figure flew a few feet into the air before _flying_ after Towa.

Flying.

"Fū?"

It was definitely Fū. Towa had just resurfaced from the watery depths and he fired a series of fireballs towards Fū. The fireballs provided enough light for Naruto to see the white clothing that his teammate wore as well as the vicious snarl on her face.

Naruto had so many questions. How was Fū matching up to an Anbu? Why was Towa here in the first place? Where were Naori and the hunter-nin? As a matter of fact, where the fuck was Nobu?

Naruto decided to give Fū the space she needed. She was clearly able to handle herself. Instead, he scanned the surrounding area for Naori. It was proving to be fruitless until he caught a distortion in how some of the flames were moving.

Naruto checked to make sure he wasn't hallucinating and once again he saw that weird shimmer of not just the flames, but the surroundings.

Genjutsu.

Naruto took out a kunai as he sped towards the distortion. Area of effect genjutsu were rather hard to dispel normally. Forcing chakra out wasn't quite enough.

To dispel them, you had to interfere with the caster's chakra which was well and truly above Naruto's paygrade. An Uchiha or Hyuuga would have an easier time just by being able to see the chakra.

Naruto had no such luck.

There was another way, though that was as crude as it was simple. By and large, area of effect genjutsu would fade if something physical interacted with it. Larger ones would need larger physical interferences, but thankfully for Naruto, this was one pretty small.

Naruto threw his kunai at the distortion before boosting it with a Reppusho(Gale Palm). The kunai turned into a black streak and Naruto expected it to fly through the distortion and dispel the genjutsu.

What he did not expect was for an ice mirror to intercept the kunai. The mirror cracked heavily as the kunai slammed right up to the hilt in it. A second later, the area genjutsu faded to reveal the hunter-nin standing over Naori who looked pale and weak.

There was blood over Naori's shirt, particularly over her stomach. The hunter-nin's mask was down revealing a rather good-looking face. That was dismissed though as Naruto took in the blood-soaked hands of the hunter-nin as he (she?) dispelled the mirror.

"What did you do?" Naruto said and the hunter-nin raised his hands in submission.

"Look, I–"

The hunter-nin was cut off as Naruto fired a Sankousen at him. The tunnel of wind sent the boy flying through the air before he slammed into a tree. His head slammed into the trunk with a thump that was slightly sickening.

Naruto ran over to Naori and he felt a wave of anger and desperation wash over him as he took in the wound on her stomach.

Naruto verified that the hunter was still slumped against the tree before looking back down at Naori. Her eyes were open, but they weren't focused. There were thin blue lines that crisscrossed her skin and Naruto grimaced as he saw them.

Chakra exhaustion.

Naruto wished he could help Naori, but he knew no medical ninjutsu. Naori was the medic on the team– not him. Maybe if she had more chakra then she would be able to heal herself.

"You don't know what you're doing."

The hunter-nin was groggy as he rose to his feet, "Her wounds need to heal or she'll die. I can help her."

Naruto scowled as he glared at the older boy, "You're the enemy. I won't let you touch her."

"Your name's Naruto, right?" The hunter-nin seemed to sense Naruto's suspicion as he added, "My name is Haku. I know you because you're in the bingo book. High priority, but unknown strength."

Naruto continued to glare at Haku, but he could not help but keep looking at Naori. He crouched down and began applying pressure to the wound, but Haku broke his focus as he spoke again.

"That won't be enough," Haku said before he slowly began to go through handseals. Naruto went through some of his own and was ready to fire a wind jutsu, but he stopped as he saw Haku's hands glow green.

"Towa hit her with an arrow," Haku said as he slowly approached and under Naruto's cautious gaze began to heal the wound, "She had taken quite a bit of damage from our fight and was running on fumes. I-I didn't want to kill her..."

Naruto saw small puncture wounds on Naori's body began to close as Haku healed her, "That's not what it looks like to me."

There was a screech as again Towa was sent hurtling away from Fū and Naruto had to fight the urge to go help her. Haku seemed to recoil at the sight of Fū flying after Towa and it was with a bit of wonderment that he turned to Naruto.

"You're very different from Fū," Haku said as he finally finished healing Naori, "If anything, I would have thought you'd be the temperamental one."

Why would Haku compare Naruto to Fū? How did he even know Fū?

"What do you mean? And how do you know Fū?" Naruto said his tone conveying his wariness.

"The same way I know you," Haku sounded a bit confused, "The Bingo Book has both of Konoha's jinchuuriki in it. That's why Zabuza-sama and I were called in. We were supposed to take you two on. There are lots of bidders for a Bijū especially for the Nanabi or Kyuubi."

Haku's words infuriated Naruto. It was bad enough to hear that Fū was also cursed with a Bijū like him but to hear Haku speak about them like they were objects pissed him off.

"I still have my duty to him."

Haku lunged at him with a sharp ice shard, but Naruto was able to catch Haku's thrust by the wrist. The shard stopped barely an inch from Naruto's eye and he could feel Haku straining to push it forward.

Naruto threw Haku facefirst to the ground before diving onto his back. He used the tree walking exercise to cling onto Haku's back before he pulled Haku's right arm backwards.

"Rakkaki!(Falling Tree)" Naruto spat as Haku screamed as his arm was pulled back. Haku rose to his feet and tried to shake Naruto off, but he hung on resolutely.

Finally, there was a loud crack and Naruto dismounted from Haku's back with a kick to the older boy's back. Haku was sent stumbling and by the time he recovered Naruto already had a jutsu ready.

"Rinkai Hoshi! (Critical Star)"

Haku let out a sharp scream. His eyes were assaulted by an impossibly bright light. His right arm hung limply by his side. Naruto had definitely damaged the tendons in the shoulder, and it would take some time to heal.

Naruto unstrapped his tonfa holding them in sabre form – by the long side. He used the corner of the handle to wrap around Haku's ankle before pulling the Kiri traitor off his feet.

Haku let out a groan as he landed on his injured arm, but Naruto couldn't care less about that. He used his tonfa like hammers as he delivered crushing blows across Haku's arms and legs.

The sound of bones breaking melded with Haku's groans as Naruto delivered shot after shot after shot to the downed shinobi before he kicked Haku away. Haku let out another groan as his short flight came to an end thanks to gravity. Naruto could hear a dark voice from within urging him to break Haku completely.

Naruto switched his tonfa around and extended their blades. With great difficulty, he converted and channelled wind chakra into the blades. The wind blades were large and jagged – a far cry from their usual polished state.

The wind blades let out a piercing screech as Naruto walked towards Haku. He relished the look of horror and resignation on Haku's face as he came to a stop in front of him.

Haku had one eye swollen shut and he seemed to recoiled as he made eye contact with Naruto, "Your eyes–They're–"

Haku was cut off as Fū, carried by a water dragon, slammed into a nearby tree. The water dragon was followed by a wave of fire that washed over Fū's position. The water flew around them as Fū screamed in agony beneath the flames.

Suddenly, Haku raised his less mangled hand into a handseal even as the heat from the flames tickled their skin. The water coalesced into needles of water that were sent flying at Naruto.

From this close up, all he could do was brace himself. He covered his face before there was an explosion of pain across his body. It felt like he had been stabbed one thousand times over, but despite it all, he did not let go of his tonfa.

The storm of water needles soon died down and Naruto groaned as he was forced down to one knee. He glared at Haku who was still conscious but had also taken major damage from his own jutsu.

"Why?" Naruto said his confusion palpable.

"It was the mission Zabuza gave me," Haku said as if it that explained it all, "The love one has for their comrades will always trump whatever your enemy throws at you."

Haku had practically committed suicide all in an attempt to take Naruto with him. And this was for _Zabuza_? Was that what it meant to love someone? To go above and beyond for them no matter what?

What was so special about Zabuza that made Haku want to die for him?

"Let's see your love save you now," Naruto said as he ignored the pain in his body and raised one of his tonfa blades above his head. He was about to swing it down to Haku's head when his arm was caught by someone behind him.

"Naruto," Naori looked pale and weak and her grasp on his arm was as light as a feather, "Just leave him. He's already done."

The sight of Naori standing and talking to him when she had just been on death's door moments ago was as startling as it was pleasing. It threw cold water over Naruto's anger as he realised that Haku had saved her from dying.

Naruto lowered his tonfa to eye level and he was able to see his eyes switch from a vivid red to the more familiar blue. Naruto dropped his tonfa and they fell the ground before he pulled Naori into a hug.

"I thought you were done for," Naruto said ignoring the pain of the needles in his body, "Don't go dying on me again."

"Who knew you were such a softie?" Naori said before finally separating from Naruto, "I'm glad you're okay. Where's Fū?"

There was a bit of unfortunate timing as there was a loud roar from where Naruto knew Fū was laying. He and Naori turned to see Fū's body covered in a reddish-orange chakra.

The chakra cloak was more vibrant than before and from this close up Naruto could see more details in it. There was an insect-like quality to the cloak as two wings made of pure chakra fluttered behind their teammate.

"Fū?" Naori said as she stared at her teammate, "Are you alright? What is this?"

Fū turned to face them at Naori's voice and Naruto felt his hackles rise as he saw the empty gaze in Fū's eyes. That confirmed it then. Fū was drawing on the Nanabi's power and she had likely lost control as well.

"Naori," Naruto said and it was only the seriousness in his voice that made her listen, "How much chakra do you have?"

"Not much," Naori said before she reached into her pouch and pulled out a plastic container, "I've only got these soldier pills. What's wrong with Fū? Is she alright?"

Fū seemed to crouch down in clear preparation for an attack. Naruto frowned as he aimed his tonfas at Fū holding them like crossbows. Naori thankfully ate the pill before and she seemed to stand up straighter as a portion of her chakra was returned to her.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong with Fū? Her chakra feels so dark and evil...exactly like yours just now" Naori said as she took out a single warfan, "I know you know, Naruto. Just tell me."

"She's a jinchuuriki," Haku said from his position on the floor, "She contains one of the nine Bijū...just like your teammate over here."

"Wait-wha–"

Naori's question was lost to the air as Fū let out a deafening roar. Naruto fired a storm of needles from his tonfa using the launcher seals. To his dismay, they all bounced off of Fū's chakra cloak, but in a fit of desperation, he kept at it.

Fū seemed to take offence at this and she burst off the ground in an orange haze. Naruto shoved Naori down to the ground before Fū zipped past over their head. This seemed to anger Fū who turned back and charged at them again.

"Give me cover," Naruto said choosing to explain everything to Naori later.

Not that there was much left to explain really.

Naruto switched his tonfa to their normal form as he met Fū halfway. He was able to get the first hit in with a crushing uppercut. The wood of his tonfa made a loud cracking sound as it slammed into Fū's jaw.

Unfortunately, Fū shrugged it off before lashing out with a punch. Naruto was just able to push Fū's punch aside, but it still brushed his right shoulder. A lance of pain shot up his arm and he very nearly let go of his tonfa.

Ok, Fū's strength had just gone _way_ up.

"Katon: Garyū! (Fire Release: Dragon's Fang)"

Naruto dove out of the way as he heard Naori cast her jutsu. A crescent of fire was launched towards Fū and Naruto's amazement was cut short as with a swipe of her hand Fū cut the jutsu in half. Fū raised her hands to her mouth before she fired an absurdly large bolt of water at Naori.

Naori was forced to substitute with a log nearby to Naruto. The Mizurappa(Water Trumpet) tore the log to shreds before doing the same to the ground around them.

Naori once again took out her soldier pill container and she popped two more before throwing the container away.

"Are you crazy?" Naruto said as Naori seemed to grimace from the effects of the pills, "You could die."

"If I run out of chakra, I'm dead anyway." Naori said putting away her warfan, "Give me some juice. Our weaker stuff won't even scratch her."

Naruto sighed dropping his tonfa before they both went through handseals for a jutsu. They finished it at about the same time and Naruto drew on more chakra than usual to give it an extra kick.

Naori seemed to have had the same idea as she fired a massive fireball at Fū. Naruto followed suit with a large wind tunnel and the two jutsu melded into a tunnel of fire. The heat from the combination jutsu tickled their skin before it slammed into a stationary Fū.

Naruto didn't wait for Fū to reemerge before he fired a Sankousen at the newly created bonfire. To his horror, Fū flew through the flames her body covered in severe burns. She barrelled her way through the Sankousen before she delivered a kick to Naruto.

A scream escaped Naruto's mouth as he was sent flying upwards at an angle. His body sailed through the air and before he could even blink Fū was in front of him again.

He saw that her hands were raised above her body before she delivered a crushing hammer blow to his stomach. Fū punctuated the strike with a scream that was made entirely of rage and fury.

Naruto's vision whited out for a few seconds as he accelerated towards the ground. His body slammed into the river at high speeds only serving to exacerbate his suffering.

Naruto felt like he was close to blacking out as he sunk to the bottom of the cold river. Naruto tried to move, but to his horror, he couldn't feel anything past his neck.

The water was cold and dark and Naruto could feel his grasp on consciousness begin to fade. He screamed at his body to move, but it was futile. The lack of air was messing with his head and it wasn't long before he felt his lungs take in a deep breath.

* * *

Air flooded into Naruto's lungs and it was as unexpected as it was welcome.

Naruto heard something shift in front of him and instead of one of his teammates or the night sky or the towering trees of the forest, he saw an enormous cage that Naruto knew he had never seen before.

As a matter of fact, Naruto had never seen anything around him before.

It looked like a sewer and there were pipes snaking around on the ceiling. The water beneath him was murky and ethereal. There was just something _off_ about it.

Naruto peered into the water and, to his amazement, an image of Naori and Fū laughing at something formed before dispelling almost immediately.

"Where the hell is this?" Naruto said as he looked back at the cage.

A flash of white caught his eye and Naruto's eyes flicked over to it. It was a paper directly over the lock for the cage. There was some writing on it and a wave of understanding fell over him as he read the kanji on the strip of paper.

"Seal."

There was no doubt now. Naruto knew exactly where he was.

A hulking figure began to rise and form from behind the cage doors. Naruto watched as he saw orange fur, gleaming white teeth, red eyes before finally nine swaying tails.

This place was his seal.

This figure was the Kyuubi.

"You are so weak, boy," Red eyes looked down on him as if he were a speck of dust, "I have seen your life and you are still barely worth my attention let alone worthy of being my prison."

Naruto was tongue-tied as the Kyuubi stared at him. Naruto could feel the power of the creature before him. It was in the air like a cloud of poison and it messed with his senses even from behind the cage.

For all its power, the Kyuubi was still the reason for Naruto's unsavoury life in the village. It was the sheer contempt he felt for the Kyuubi that gave him the courage to speak.

"Why did you bring me here, you stupid fox?"

The insult seemed to rattle the Kyuubi as it slammed up against the cage doors. Naruto flinched backwards, but the doors held firm.

"Know your place, boy," The fox's voice was deep and booming especially with the malice dripping from it, "You came here out of self-preservation and sheer desperation."

Wait, did that mean–

"You are still at the bottom of the river," Kyuubi said with a vicious grin, "You seem unable to handle my sibling's power. Your spine is broken and your lungs are flooding with water. That will not do. I will not lose to Choumei and her container."

Orange chakra began to creep out the bottom of the cage before it dove and wrapped around Naruto.

"I will never give you my power so easily again."

Naruto was barely able to hear the Kyuubi's voice as the chakra wrapped around his body. He was only able to hear one more word before his world turned to black

"Begone."

* * *

Naori blinked away the tears forming at her eyes as Fū walked towards her. Naruto was dead. She had seen and heard how his spine had been broken by Fū. His body had been horribly misshapen as he fell into the river.

That had been thirty seconds ago.

Naori had used the entirety of that time to Shunshin away from Fū. It was a drain on her reserves, but it was either that or death. Naori prepared another Shunshin and she moved out of the way as Fū slammed into her previous position.

Unfortunately, Naori hadn't taken into account what was behind her and she tripped over something before slamming into the ground thanks to the momentum from the Shunshin. Naori tried to see what she had fallen over and she nearly fainted at the sight of a mangled Towa.

His leg had been cut off at the knee and his body was littered in cuts and bruises. His eyes were wide open and his hands were still in a handseal. Naori knew this had to have been done by Fū. Or the demon inside Fū? That was a revelation Naori had not been prepared for.

Her teammates had Bijū sealed inside them. Living and breathing natural disasters were somehow contained within her teammates and Naori had not had even the slightest of ideas.

They had virtually unlimited power at their fingertips and Naori had fooled herself into thinking they were on about the same level.

What else had been hidden from her? Why would Haku, of all people, know before her? Did they not trust her? Did they think she was a security risk like her brother? The weak and traitorous sister of Shisui Uchiha?

"Fuck this," Naori said as she tried to climb to her feet. There was a sharp lance of pain as soon as she stood up and Naori cursed. Her ankle was broken. Naori could sense that Fū was still somewhat far away.

Her chakra enveloped the surrounding area and Naruto's chakra that had barely been discernible was now completely gone. The tears fell from her eyes freely now even as she used the Shosen to heal her ankle.

Her coils screamed at her, one of the many side effects of taking too many soldiers pills. It was slow work as she began to repair the damage in her ankle, but before she was anywhere near done a glowing orange figure landed in front of her.

Fū was still covered in the burns from Naori and Naruto's combination attack. Her vibrant orange eyes had morphed into a yellow insectan that deeply unsettled Naori.

The wings behind Fū had faded away and there was now a spindly chakra tail that trailed behind her. The tail wrapped around Towa before throwing him far away. Naori began to scramble back as Fū advanced towards her.

"Come on, Fū," Naori said desperately, "This isn't you! You like eating food and that stupid fighting show and playing with animals. You aren't like this. You aren't this _monster_!"

Naori's words fell on deaf ears as the tail wrapped around her neck. Naori winced as she felt the insidious chakra bubble and boil against her skin. It felt like her blood had turned into fire as it surged through her body.

Naori coughed and there was a volley of blood that launched from her mouth. Her body shook and shivered as she was held off the ground by Fū's tail.

Naori bit down on the pain as she screamed into Fū's face, "Wake up, Fū!"

Naori punctuated her words with a headbutt that slammed into Fū's face. There was a crunch before Fū stumbled back holding her now broken nose. Naori laid on the ground completely exhausted of any energy.

Fū seemed pissed beyond belief and she lunged towards Naori with a punch. Naori closed her eyes expecting the end to come. There was a thump in front of her and Naori kept her eyes closed.

A second passed. Then two. Then three. After ten seconds of no pain, Naori opened her eyes and she was shocked by what she saw.

Naruto, completely and fully healed, was holding Fū's punch. He was covered in a chakra cloak similar to Fū's but his cloak was shaped like a fox. A tail of chakra whipped behind languidly as he held Fū's arm with a measure of difficulty.

Naruto turned back to face Naori and she let out a gasp at his face. His whisker marks seemed to have grown more pronounced and his eyes were a vivid red with a slitted pupil. As he opened his mouth to speak, Naori caught sight of his sharpened canines.

"Run," His voice was gruff and deep startling Naori at the change to her formerly dead teammate.

Despite Naruto's warning, Naori could not move as she watched her teammates fight. There was no precision or strategy or tact. They were simply two forces slamming into each other over and over and over again.

Moves that could be blocked were taken and brushed off with supernatural ease. Claws and tails were used just as liberally as punches and kicks. Neither of them used any jutsu, it was just pure carnage. Naruto was just as far gone as Fū.

Fū seemed to deal more damage, but no matter what she did Naruto would heal from it almost immediately. Naori had screamed upon seeing Naruto get gored by Fū's tail only for the boy to rip it out leaving only a hole in the back of his shirt.

This had to stop.

Naori rose to her feet and she ignored her shattered ankle as she tried to intercept her teammates. She bided her time as they clashed before separating.

A massive water sword formed in Fū's hand as Naruto pulled his hand back into a fist. Wind began to swirl around his fist in a contained funnel. They were going for the final blow.

Naori would not let that happen.

The second they put their heads down and charged, Naori used the last of her chakra to Shunshin in between her teammates.

"Stop!"

It was a move borne of sheer desperation. Naori held her hands out as if to stop her teammates with some unknown force. Of course, she didn't have anything like that up her sleeve and her teammates continued their assault.

Naori expected her teammates to run right through her and it was that desperation that empowered her to try one last time. She flared her chakra right as they were upon her using a jutsu her brother had taught her.

"Kanashibari no Jutsu! (Temporary Paralysis jutsu)"

Spikes of chakra were fired from Naori and they slammed into her teammates' bodies. Their bodies froze up as the Kanashibari took effect paralysing their major muscle groups.

They stopped mere inches away from her their jutsu falling apart. Naori wrapped her arms around Naruto and Fū. She ignored the burning sensation of their chakra as she whispered into their ears, tears streaming down her face.

"Naruto...Fū...just stop. Please."

Naori could feel the tension in their bodies fade as the effects of the Kanashibari dissipated. She held onto them tighter expecting to be torn apart any second now.

However, instead of that happening, the chakra surrounding her teammates began to fade. It began slowly before it sped up rapidly. Soon, the chakra was gone and Naori slowly pulled back from the hug.

Two sets of orange and blue eyes looked back at Naori. Naruto was blinking quite rapidly whilst Fū had a pronounced frown on her face. Naori despite herself spoke in a voice far softer than she would use normally.

"Fū?"

"Are you alright, Naori?" Fū said before she looked around her, "What the hell happened here?"

"Naruto?" Naori looked at her other teammate having confirmed that Fū was back, "Is that you?"

"Yeah," Naruto said before his eyes wandered up and down Naori's body, "You don't look so good. Come on, let's go."

It was then that Naori reached the end of her rope. She pulled her teammates into a hug which they both returned hesitantly.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay," Naori said her voice wavering, "Don't ever scare me like that again."

Naori pulled back from the hug and she could have laughed from the confusion on her teammates' faces. You know, if her body wasn't completely shutting down.

Naori collapsed forwards, but Naruto and Fū caught her as one. They were asking questions, but their words came out distorted. The last thing Naori saw was Jiraiya with a grave look on his face emerging from somewhere before it all went to black.

* * *

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Dr–

"Ugh," Naori groaned as the sound of water dripping drew her attention.

Where the hell was she? Naori could tell she was on a bed and an extremely comfortable one at that. Slowly, she opened her eyes to reveal an unfamiliar room.

The room was bathed in the light of the early morning and Naori was forced to wait a few seconds before her eyes adjusted. She now saw that she was in a rather lavish bedroom.

There was a large dresser adorned with fancy carvings and patterns. There was also an open door that led to a bathroom. That must have been where the dripping noise was coming from.

Naori tried to stand up, but she stayed down due to an unseen weight on the bed as well as her muscles being pretty weak. Naori looked down at what was weighing down and she blinked as she saw her teammates half sitting in a chair and half lying on the bed.

Naruto looked to be in good shape. His eyes had bags around them, but he was otherwise unharmed. Fū, on the other hand, looked like pressed shit. She had bandages all over her body as well as a weird brace over her nose.

It was then that Naori realised her body was also bandaged quite heavily. There was also a dull ache all over her body. Naori lifted her hand and saw faint blue lines all over her body.

Chakra exhaustion.

Naori closed her eyes as she recalled the way their mission had flipped on its head. She had come so close to dying so many times, some of which almost came at the hands of her teammates.

Naori opened her eyes and a small smile formed on her face as she looked at her teammates. Naruto was sleeping with his mouth open while Fū actually had a thumb in her mouth.

It was so cute Naori felt like she was going to puke.

Actually, the puke was all her Naori realised with some panic. She looked over the edge of the bed where there was a bucket and she picked it up before blowing her chunks.

Her very body seemed to seize as she expunged the contents of her stomach. Naori felt a hand rub her back and she tensed for just a moment before she heard Fū's sleepy voice.

"Come on, Naori. Just let it out."

Fū had also had the foresight to pull Naori's hair out of the way which she was grateful. A few minutes later and more dry heaves than she could care to count, Naori was done.

Without a word, Fū took the bucket and went into the bathroom. A glass of water with a straw was held in front of her face and Naori trailed up the arm to see Naruto looking down at her.

"Drink it slowly," Naruto sounded more exhausted than Naori had ever heard him, but she took the glass gratefully.

Naori sipped at her water as an awkward silence descended on them. There was the sound of running water from the bathroom before Fū came back out with the bucket. She put it down within reach before popping back down to her chair.

Silence.

Awkward silence.

Very awkward silence.

"Nobu's alive," Fū said breaking the suffocating silence, "Apparently, what I carried was a transformed toad. Sensei sent Nobu to the land of the toads while they had that private chat."

"That's great?" Naori said as despite the good news Fū sounded very upset, "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Fū said her hands gripping onto the arms of her chair tightly, "I lost control because I thought you and Nobu were dead! I came back instead of coming here to the Capitol! The only reason we're like this is because of me! I could have killed you guys! _I broke Naruto's back!_ This is my fault."

"It's not your fault, Fū," Naruto said scratching the back of his neck, "I already forgave you for that. Plus, Naori and I gave you those burns and she broke your nose. I think we're even..."

"The only ones to blame are the guys who attacked us," Naruto said a tinge of anger in his voice as he turned to Naori, "They didn't want Nobu. They were after my and Fū's bounties."

"Bounties?" Naori said without thinking drawing a nod from Naruto.

"Turns out Bijū are in high demand," Naruto said sourly, "I'd give mine away if it wouldn't kill me."

This was confirmation of what Haku had said. Naruto and Fū were demon containers. They looked fine now, if not exhausted. Nothing like the feral beasts they had been...

"How long have I been out?"

"A week. You were let out the hospital yesterday," Fū said her tone seemingly apologetic, "The doctors did as much as they could before they said you only needed bed rest. Nobu opened up his house to us while we waited for you to wake up...I think he feels guilty."

Naruto and Fū were both avoiding her gaze now and Naori knew why. Neither of them had mentioned their status and now it was out in the open and in probably the worst possible way too.

"How long have you guys known?"

"I found out a few years ago," Naruto said choosing to speak first. His voice was scratchy and Naori offered her drink to him which he took a large sip from.

"Thanks," Naruto said as he put the glass on the bedside table, "We haven't really spoken much while you were out. Sensei has been in and out of meetings with the Daimyo and Fū and I..."

"Anyways," Naruto said switching course, "I haven't really told anyone about this, but whatever. You guys deserve to know. I'm an orphan. Kyuubi attack. So you know how Taki is pretty much our bitch now?"

Naruto was an orphan too? How didn't she know this?

Naruto's attempt at levity seemed to have fallen flat on Fū as well. The girl seemed hyper-vigilant as she stared at Naruto her eyes focused on him entirely. Naruto didn't seem to notice at all as he continued his story.

"That's kinda my fault," Naruto said drily, "Their leader somehow figured out that I held the Kyuubi and one of his men abducted me from my apartment. I didn't know why at the time. Later on, word got spread about our occupation of Taki and their country. We'd gotten revenge on then and taken over them."

Naori remained quiet ad Naruto paused. It seemed to be a bit too much to handle as he gestured towards Fū–presumably for her to start her story.

"You can start, Fū," Naruto said running his hands through his hair, "This is just a lot..."

"Okay," Fū said before she took a deep breath and let it out, "I'm not from Konoha. I was actually born in Taki and I lived there for most of my life. I didn't have any family and as long as I knew I was treated like dirt by everyone around me. I got told early about the Nanabi."

"It was during the Konoha retaliation against Taki where I was brought to Konoha. Taki had forced me to attack Hokage-sama and I lost pretty quickly," Fū said and her tone seemed to pick up, "I guess I know why I was taken away now."

Naruto smirked and it was small, but it was the most upbeat he had been since Naori had woken up. Naori was more amazed at how entwined their lives were. Naori and Naruto also had a run-in in the past, but Naori wasn't sure if now was the time to bring it up.

Naruto had forgotten and it would be embarrassingly awkward to bring it up– no matter how grateful she was for him coming to her rescue.

"Anyways," Fū said with a sigh, "Konoha is a lot better than Taki had been. I don't miss it. I got taught how to draw out the Nanabi's chakra. I can only control enough to use my wings. That's why I lost control back in the forest...Look, guys, I am so–"

"Don't apologise," Naori and Naruto said together. They looked at each other in slight surprise before shaking it off.

"You only lost control because you thought Nobu and I were dead," Naori said looking her teammate in the eye, "People make mistakes all the time. This could have ended badly, but it didn't. That goes for both of you. I'm, uh, just glad you guys are okay."

"Thanks, Naori."

Naori's speech was rather wooden and she felt her cheeks burn up at Fū's widening smile. Naruto also seemed touched by her words even if he was smirking at how flustered she was. If she wasn't injured, she'd teach him a lesson.

"How did you find out about the Kyuubi?" Fū said to Naruto whose smirk dropped off his face, "You didn't finish."

"Oh yeah," Naruto said his tone a bit angry, "I hate this story. So you know how there are gangs in the Warehouse District?"

Fū didn't know, but Naori did. A few of her cousins were involved in that scene, but she had never really been too interested in that.

"Well, I would go there to get some practice in," Naruto said, "It was usually me vs a whole group of people and one day I decided to make a break for it instead of facing the group head-on. It was already late in the day and I managed to lose them by going into the Uchiha compound."

Naori froze as she processed Naruto's last sentence.

"The houses looked too similar and eventually I was forced to use the streets," Naruto said unaware of the turmoil within Naori.

"The place was deserted luckily...except for this one house," Naori gripped the covers harshly as Naruto spoke.

"There was this argument and I was too scared to move in case I got into trouble for trespassing."

"What was the argument about?" Naori asked her tone clipped and urgent.

Naruto blinked before continuing to speak, "It was weird. It was two parents and their son."

No ways.

"They were speaking about something called a Mangekyo. The parents seemed to hate it while their son loved it. The son sounded nuts."

Bile formed at the back of Naori's mouth as she heard Naruto casually mention the Uchiha clan's greatest secret. It was also the main motive behind what her brother had done.

"There was this explosion of smoke before this guy killed his parents. He walked out the doorway, his eyes were glowing red..."

Please no.

"He found me and caught me in a genjutsu," Naruto said and Naori was aware of how traumatised Naruto sounded. His voice was small, but even then he continued to speak.

"He showed me the fox's attack," Naruto said staring off into space, "There was so much death and destruction. He wanted to use me as a message. He took out his sword and he was about to attack when–"

"A girl interrupted him."

Naruto turned to face Naori his skin pale under the morning light, "Yeah, how did–"

"He put her in a genjutsu and then you tried to escape with her."

"But he caught you," Naori said staring into the wide-open eyes of Naruto, "He was fast. Impossibly fast. It could only have been–"

"A Shunshin," Realisation was dawning on Naruto's face.

"He tried to kill both of you, but an Anbu saved you," The words flew out of Naori's mouth rapidly, "His name was–"

"Itachi Uchiha. Sasuke's brother."

"And your attacker's name was?" Naori said putting the last piece in place.

"Guys, what are you talking about?" Fū said and she seemed confused at the turn Naruto's story took, "How does Naori know this?"

"I know this because I was the girl Naruto saved," Naori said the secret she had been keeping had finally burst into the light, "The parents that were killed were mine...and my brother is–"

Naruto looked at her his eyes viewing her in a new light, "Shisui Uchiha."

"You're an orphan?" Fū said to Naori drawing a nod from her, "That means Naruto was there w-when..."

"I guess we all had our secrets," Naori said chuckling humourlessly, "I'm an orphan too or at least I became one on the night my brother killed my parents."

"That's my secret," Naori said leaning back against her pillows, "My brother went crazy one night and killed my parents. That's why I want to become a hunter-nin. I'm going to find him and I'll make him pay."

It was her path to walk. Shisui would answer for–

"You'll have to get in line," Naruto said his usual bravado back, "That bastard tried to kill me. There's no way he's getting off easy. So unless you're willing to share, I'm gonna stomp a hole in your brother's chest."

"I'm in!" Fū said with almost too much enthusiasm, "We're a team and wherever you guys go, I go."

Naori looked back between Fū and Naruto. The endearing eagerness of the former contrasted with the brash confidence of the latter. Did her teammates just force their way into her mission? Was there something wrong with them?

Why didn't Naori mind?

"Are you crying?" Naruto said and his tone only held concern and confusion, "Did one of your kidneys shut down or something? You're not dying on us, are you?"

"No," Naori said pushing him away, "The sun got in my eyes."

"You're completely in the shade."

"I said what I said, Fū," Naori said wiping at her eyes, "I'm the medic here. Trust me on this one."

Thankfully, neither of her teammates pushed the issue even as tears continued to trail down her face. She had always thought she would have to go at Shisui alone, but now she had _two_ people willing to march to hell with her and back.

That was more than anyone had ever done for her since she could remember.

"Okay, we'll take him down together," Naori said lifting her hand up in a closed fist, "He's just as strong as sensei so it won't be easy."

"Fine by me," Naruto said raising his fist to meet hers, "You'll need to catch up to me if you want this to work out."

"You guys are _still_ going to argue, aren't you?" Fū said her tone resigned before she too out her fist in the circle, "Maybe that'll kill me before Shisui does."

It was such an absurd joke made only worse by it coming from Fū's mouth.

"We need a gang name," Naruto said before he snapped his fingers, "What about Uzu–"

"No," Naori said, "Tacking your name on stuff is lame and yes that includes your taijutsu style."

"If you're so smart then you think of one," Naruto said sounding a bit annoyed but with no real heat.

An answer came almost immediately.

"Sangoukai."

"Triad?" Naruto said before humming, "A bit basic, but it will do."

"It's _not_ basic," Naori said trying (and failing) to keep her voice even, "Our lives have been linked for longer than we've known and we're very similar. The name and this handshake symbolise that."

"I like it!"

"Sure, why not?"

"Good," Naori said brushing Fū and Naruto's fists with her own, "Sangoukai it is."

They dispersed not long after that. Apparently to get food and as Fū and Naruto messed about in the kitchen Naori for this one moment felt well and truly content.

She had a family again.

* * *

Haku groaned as he dragged himself across the forest floor. It had been over a week since he'd eaten and he was reduced to dragging himself with his one good hand.

He was trying to bet back to Shirai were hopefully Zabuza-sama would have left him a clue on how to find him. It was usually at a bar or brothel. It would take time, but if there was one thing Haku had it was patience.

He smiled as he saw the twitching feet of someone lying behind a tree. His bones were still broken in many places, but at least now he had found someone who could help him.

"Help!" Haku said fighting through the pain of his bruised and battered body, "Can you help me?"

The legs, which Haku saw were covered in boots, stopped twitching all together. Good, they knew he was there. Haku finally made it around the corner to meet his saviour, but he froze as he met whoever it was head-on.

Well, head on was a bit inaccurate.

"Zabuza-sama?" Haku recognised the brutalised body of his master even without the head. His sword was nowhere to be seen and to Haku's dismay animals had begun to pick at his master's corpse.

It had to have been Jiraiya of the Sannin.

Something was strange, though. Haku's exhausted mind was still able to recall that carnivorous animals were in short supply in this area. Let alone any scavengers.

"Look what we have here."

Haku turned on his back and he froze as he saw an impossible man. He had a weird plant-like appendage around his head and was split right down the middle. The one side a pure white and the other a deep black.

There was a slashed Kusa headband tied around the man's forehead, but most startling of all was the black cloak with red clouds on it. Finally, there were chunks of meat and blood around the two-toned mouth of the shinobi.

Akatsuki.

"You must be the apprentice," the dark side of the strange man, "Your master made for a good meal even if he was a bit spoiled."

Haku felt queasy and immeasurable fear as he stared up at the man, no monster before him.

"I have a feeling you are going to be very valuable to our cause."

The man pointed a finger at Haku before a single, grassy needle was fired at him. It pierced Haku's neck before instantly the wound began to burn. The burning sensation spread throughout Haku's body and his eyes began to droop.

Poison.

The last thing Haku saw was the man reaching for his face before it all went to black.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

**I am finally back, people.**

**You know how it goes. Life gets in the way, but I'm back now. It's impossible for me to churn out chapters on-demand and dropping one-word reviews like "Update?" won't get you anywhere. So stop that.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please tell me what you thought. All lines of communication are open on here or Reddit if you have a question or anything like that about the story.**

**The next story due for an update is likely to be Ascendants. It could be Dauntless, but I don't think I'll do sequential chapters for the time being.**

**Herald, my Naruto x Pokemon crossover, is also long overdue for an update so that _may_ get another chapter or not. We'll see lol.**

**That brings the first mission to a wrap. Team 11 are on the same page finally and everything is out in the open. Next chapter will be the aftermath and probably another mission. I'll probably only do one more mission before the Chuunin Exams.**

**Stay safe and wear your masks, people.**


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